Hiding Behind Masks
by Twisted Vixen
Summary: By chance two ex-teammates meet on neutral ground. What happens when the person you thought you knew turns out to be completely different?
1. Prologue: Goodbye

**Title:** Hiding Behind Masks

**Summary:** By chance two ex-teammates meet on neutral ground. What happens when the person you thought you knew turns out to be completely different?

**Warnings:** I am considering this an AU. Some parts are canon. Manga spoilers abound. And although I write some of Sasuke and Naruto in character, they will definitely have their moments of OOC-ness. Also in this fic Naruto and Sasuke are both 16.

**Disclaimer: **I'm sure you can tell that I don't own Naruto because if I did I wouldn't be indulging myself here.

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**Hiding Behind Masks**

**Prologue - Goodbye  
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**"Do you know why you have been summoned here?"

A tall young man stood before the man and woman who were considered the elders. Behind him sat the rest of the council. He recognized most of the men and women as the parents of his friends. His spiky blond head raised and blue eyes flashed, but he didn't speak a word. The male elder continued.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you have been a risk to Konoha long enough. This council has agreed to revoke your ninja status. You are to be banished. You will relinquish your hitai-ite and you will have 3 hours to leave Konoha."

The man gasped and turned wide stricken eyes to the blonde hazel eyed woman behind him, ready to open the loud mouth he was famed for to argue. But he was stopped by a forlorn shake of her head and the lone tear he saw slowly trickle down her face.

"Uzumaki, your hitai-ite."

He turned back to the smug looking man with a glare, but instead of retorting, with slightly shaking hands he untied the worn headband that symbolized his ninja status - given to him by his father figure - and tossed it onto the floor of the council room with a clatter. Afterward, he turned and left the room, not waiting for a dismissal, disappearing in a swirl of leaves as soon as he was in the hallway. The blonde Hokage's hands balled into fists at her sides as she glared at the village elders, who she knew were the most instrumental in her favorite gaki's departure. She then turned her angry glare at one particular council member who was the most vocal about having Naruto banished. He looked back at her with a slight smirk before turning and leaving, the other 2 following. She held in her anger, walking out in as dignified a manner as she could muster, and went back to her office. Three of the council members that were still in the room looked to each other. Finally, one lazy looking one sighed before standing. "Troublesome..."

As soon as the door to the Hokage's office had closed, a yell and a loud crack of the sound of wood splitting in two was heard throughout the building, along with numerous other crashes.

Meanwhile in an apartment in the slums of Konoha, a blond young man leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the floor, tears pooled in his eyes and he pulled at his hair in anguish as the councilman's words continued to echo through his head. He no longer had a home. His goals and dreams had been shattered.

Where would he go?

What would he do?

* * *

Two hours later, the same young man was finishing his packing when he heard a knock. He opened the door to find a semi-drunk Tsunade. "Naruto..."

He put on a smile and pulled her inside. She leaned against the wall and sighed.

"I'm so sorry. I fought so hard for you. I tried everything I could..."

"Don't worry Baa-chan. I know you did what you could." He couldn't hide the sorrow in his voice, even as he tried to comfort her.

"The Third...the Fourth...neither of them wanted this. I hate what this village has become. I have half a mind to leave with you." Her hands clenched into fists.

He took her fists into his hands. "You know you can't. The village needs you here baa-chan."

"Brat, how can you still... How can you not hate this place after everything they've done to you?"

Naruto shrugged. "This is, well was, my home. I love Konoha. Even though so many here hate me, my precious people are here too." With a sigh, he raked a hand through his unruly locks. "Well, I guess you should take this back. It should go to someone worthy of being Hokage," he said as he began to pull the prized necklace over his head.

"No." she grabbed his hand before he could take it off. "You keep it. I will never put it on anyone else."

The stone dropped back to his chest bouncing lightly before settling. Both looked at the stone silently. Finally, Naruto sighed once more and bent down to pick up his backpack. "I guess I should get going eh?" He pulled out a couple of envelopes. "Please pass these on. I know I should say goodbye personally but...." He gave her a shrug and a pathetic version of a smile.

Tsunade looked into his dull blue eyes, knowing what he would say, and reached her hand out to take the envelopes. "I will."

"Also," he looked into her eyes with a bit of his usual spark of determination, "tell everyone the truth...about everything."

Her eyes widened. "Are you sure brat?"

He nodded and took one last look around what had been his apartment - for better or worse - for so long. Suddenly, he felt arms around him and his head was buried in a chest. His arms waved around as he gasped for air.

"Baa-chan...can't...breathe..."

"Shut up brat. Deal with it." A few more seconds of strangulation went by before she finally let go. "You better send me updates brat. Don't make me have to send people after you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I will. I'll send Gamakichi when I can."

She handed him a scroll. "Take this with you. This will allow you into any village without altercation."

"Thanks Baa-chan. I guess I better go then." He gave her one last huge grin. Not wanting to prolong the moment, and definitely not wanting her to see him cry, he jumped out from the balcony speeding toward the village entrance and off into an uncertain new life.

--

_Edited 2/13/2009_


	2. Unexpected Meeting

**Warnings:** I am considering this an AU. Some parts are canon. Manga spoilers abound. And although I write some of Sasuke and Naruto in character, they will definitely have their moments of OOC-ness.

**Disclaimer:** I own a couple of homemade characters, but sadly not Naruto.

**a/n:** Wow, thanks for all the reviews, alerts, etc. My perfectionist demon has been giving me lots of doubts since I started writing this story. So I'm happy that people think it's worth something.

This chapter is somewhat short, but chapters will get longer after this one. Hopefully, I'll be able to update once a week. Also, I should clarify something: At the start of this fic Naruto and Sasuke would've been 16. Big time skip coming in this chapter, so Naruto and Sasuke are 17 as of now. Now, on with the show!

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Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 1 - Unexpected Meeting  
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**_(15 months later)_

2 figures trudged slowly down the road looking worse for wear. Their clothes were tattered and dried blood was caked over the rags. One was leading a horse while the other walked beside the first. On the horse was what looked to be a bundle at first glance, but was in actuality a body. One of the figures looked up and checked on the dead weight just to make sure he/she was still breathing.

"We're almost there. Hold on ninja-sama," a female voice spoke, more for her own assurance than anything else since the so-called ninja was unconscious. She could see the house right on the outskirts of the village in the distance. She knew if anyone could help with injuries like this person had, it would be him. As they got closer and closer she began to yell out his name "Ruka! Ruka help us!" A few seconds later a door opened and she sighed in relief as a bright blond head looked out. Upon seeing the rough looking duo, he ran toward them.

"Aya, is that you?" He reached them in seconds and was about to start checking the two teens for injuries when he saw the other dead weight. His eyes widened and he took the bundle off the horse and hefted the weight over his shoulder, not paying any attention to who he might be holding. "Tie the horse over there. And what the hell happened?" he asked walking quickly back to the house, knowing they would follow.

The young male answered, "A group of us were on our way back from Rain country when we were attacked by a bunch of rogue ninjas who wanted all our goods. There was nothing we could do."

Aya jumped in, "It was so horrible. The others with us didn't make it. We tried to run, but they had us blocked in. Then he showed up and defeated them. I don't know who he was, but he saved our lives."

By this time they had reached the house. Ruka placed the unconscious man on the bed while yelling out instructions. "Aya, get me some water and a rag. Takashi, go into the bathroom and get me some ointment and the first aid kit."

The man was so bloody and dirty he was unrecognizable. He started scanning the man on the bed thankful for the little bit of medic-nin training he had gotten from baa-chan. His injuries were extensive. Unfortunately, his measly medic-nin training hadn't prepared him for healing anything beyond surface wounds. Fortunately, patching up was something he was good at, having had to take care of himself more often than not. Even if he couldn't heal the man completely, he could at least disinfect and bandage him up. Mostly there were lacerations, a couple of broken ribs, a few injuries made by what looked to be kunai, but chakra exhaustion and one large wound that looked like it came from a sword seemed to be the biggest worries at the moment. Taking the rag Aya had just come in with, he dipped it in the water and begin to wipe off the blood around the worst wound. Pouring antiseptic on the wound he heard a hiss coming from the suddenly awake patient.

"W-Who are y-you" came a slurred whisper.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help," Ruka answered without looking up.

Aya was suddenly on the other side of the man. "Yeah we brought you here. He'll fix you up good as new."

The unknown man grunted and relaxed a little - too weak and dizzy from blood and chakra loss to do much else. He wondered why it seemed so bright. Or was that the man's hair? Even though his eyes were blurred, he didn't stop watching this so-called healer, suspicious at seeing something in his hand.

"Sorry, this is going to hurt, but I'll have to stitch you up. Although, I have a feeling you're probably not too unused to feeling pain."

Ruka looked up and gave the man a small smile. The other man gasped when he saw a singular pair of striking blue eyes. Even with blurred vision there was no mistaking that shade of blue that he knew could only belong to one person.

"N-Na-ru-to?"

The man's last bit of strength left him and he passed out. Aya looked confused at the blond. "What did he say?"

He didn't answer, he couldn't. He stared down at the man, almost forgetting about his task as his mind whirled. No one…absolutely no one had dark obsidian eyes that could stare straight through your soul like his could. "Sasuke..."

--

_Edited 02/13/2009_

**a/n:** Yep, Ruka equals Naruto. It's so like him to choose an alias that was the name of his old sensei. :D And Sasuke has entered the picture. So hope you like, let me know what you think. It feeds my muse.


	3. Memories and Reminders

**Warnings:** I am considering this an AU. Some parts are canon. Manga spoilers abound. And although I write some of Sasuke and Naruto in character, they will definitely have their moments of OOC-ness.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. But I would loooove to own Itachi. And I do own Aya. She's my creation.

**a/n:** Thanks again to all my reviewers/alerters. Hopefully I can continue to live up to your expectations. More Sasuke in this chapter yay!

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Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 2 - Memories and Reminders**

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**--

**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

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The man, known to this small village as "Ruka," sat back in the chair and watched the flames, his thoughts in chaos. He never thought he'd see his rival again, let alone here in bird country - a non-ninja village. Sure, he had mouthed off for years about bringing his friend back to Konoha, but he had given up hope after the last time he had a glimpse of what used to be his best friend. And of course now Konoha was just a footnote in his life.

He thought back to the last few eventful hours. He had healed most of Sasuke's surface wounds, stitched up the gash in his side and wrapped his torso. He had also checked over Aya and Takashi, took care of their wounds, and fed them before sending them home. Aya had fussed like mad, wanting to stay with her "savior," until he told her that she could come back in the morning. She finally agreed and left them with a smile and wave. It seems even away from Konoha, Sasuke still has the ability to attract fangirls.

The two young teens were fortunate that the ex-Konoha nin arrived when he did. But now that he was alone and stuck with his thoughts, questions kept going through his head. What was he doing in this area? Why did he help them? Where were his teammates? If he was here, did that mean Itachi and Akatsuki were around? He couldn't see any other reason why Sasuke would show up in a place like this. So many questions.... If only the teme was awake so he could get his answers.

He closed his eyes with a heavy sigh and wrapped his hand around the blue stone that sat against his chest. Just seeing his former teammate brought back so many memories. He missed Konoha. He missed his friends and his makeshift family of Iruka, Kakashi, Tsunade, and Sakura. When he had first settled in this tiny village in the middle of nowhere, he sent letters to Tsunade through Gamakichi. He never revealed to them where he was, just that he was ok and bits of small talk here and there. The toad would come back with a pile of mail from all of his friends, his precious people. And all of their notes were precious to him. It was proof that none of them had abandoned him. Tsunade had done just as he requested upon leaving and told them all, not just about his banishment, but also about the Kyuubi. In the end, every one of them accepted him as he was. In fact, all of them were angry at the council. In their letters they all swore to do whatever they could to get him back, even if he knew there was nothing that could be done.

It was good to hear from them from time to time. They would always give him the latest news and sometimes they would even send him things. He would get ointments from Hinata, medical stuff from Sakura (even with his less than extensive knowledge, somehow he had ended up taking on the role of unofficial village healer), scrolls of easy medical jutsus from Tsunade, chips from Chouji, pictures from Iruka, even a shogi set from Shikamaru, although he hasn't found anyone to play against yet. Kakashi even had the nerve to send books...those hentai things made good fireplace fodder.

He leaned his head back against the chair and turned to look at one of the many pictures that adorned his walls. This particular one was a simple ink drawing, but he considered it to be one of the most precious things he had gotten – and of all people, the picture came from Sai. Whatever the happenings, events, and changes around the village, Sai would capture it in print and send it and he was grateful. While he may not be in Konoha anymore, at least he could have Konoha with him. He now knew that Sakura and Lee were engaged, Hinata and Kiba were dating, Konohamaru and his friends were all chuunin, Ino and Sai – strangely enough – were an item. He even had a picture of Gaara and his siblings, taken the last time they were in the village. He smiled softly as he remembered his side trip to Suna after he left Konoha. He ended up having to convince Gaara not to nullify the treaty. At hearing what had happened, Gaara's face had taken on a ferocity that he hadn't seen since the Shukaku days. The Kazekage had been ready to bury the entire village in a desert coffin. Fortunately, things between Suna and Konoha have smoothed out a bit since then. Although, his red headed friend still has no love for the council.

His smile faded as he went back to staring into flickering orange and red flames. The man in the other room unsettled him. It was rare he felt that way anymore. It was easier to forget about everything when there were no reminders. Feelings faded. Life went on.

It was easy to forget how lonely he was…..until now.

* * *

A persistent knock on the door woke him up. He opened his eyes and noticed how light it was. With a yawn and a stretch he got off the couch and opened the door to find a brown haired, brown eyed ball of energy in the form of Aya bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Good morning Ruka. Breakfast?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and opened the door wider as an invitation knowing she wasn't really there to see him anyway.

"It's too early." He mumbled between yawns and ran his hand through his bed head.

"Not that early Ruka." Aya replied cheerfully

Naruto just shook his head. "Should've known you'd be here at the crack of dawn. It's too early to be that happy." The teen gave him an indignant glare.

"I said it's not that early."

"Whatever you say Aya."

She grinned as he waved her away and she walked past him, tossing a bag his way before going into his bedroom and checking on her new favorite male patient. With a sleepy chuckle, he opened the bag and pulled out a pastry and ate it. Naruto met Aya not long after he got to Bird Country. For some reason he could never figure out, she immediately became attached to him like a shadow. She followed him everywhere. It wasn't long before he learned her story. Her father had been a ninja before he died. Her mother brought her here, not wanting her growing up in a ninja village. But despite her mother's intentions, she couldn't stop Aya's natural ability from shining through. He knew he was in trouble the first time she picked up a medical ninjutsu scroll. Her curiosity was peaked. The next thing he knew, he couldn't get rid of the girl. With her bubbly personality and her desire for knowledge, she quickly became Naruto's right hand girl. After much begging on her part, he began training her in how to use chakra and chakra control. In time, he had to admit that she made his new life interesting. He could hear her in the room moving things around. _'Better get in there before she finds some way to kill the teme.'_ He threw the empty bag into the trash and went to his bedroom and found the girl sitting in a chair with another bag in her hand.

"How is he?" she whispered.

"He'll be fine. He's just resting now."

A rustle of the sheets brought their attention back to the dark haired patient. "Sasuke?" Another grunt sounded as the man slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times to clear them. He looked to the side and saw two almost identical grins.

"Would you both quit that. You'll blind me," he mumbled and turned to the other side. A moment later he whipped back around - a bit too fast for his injured limbs. Pain shot through his side, causing him to moan. But he ignored the pain in favor of addressing the shock of seeing someone so familiar. "Naruto?"

"Uhh...yeah?" _'Real intelligent there...'_ Naruto brought one arm up and rubbed the back of his head.

Fortunately he was interrupted from having to say anything more by Aya. "How do you feel? Are you any better? I don't know how to thank you for saving us…." She went on and on, completely oblivious to the growing tension between the males. An impromptu staring contest began and neither was willing to give way. Suddenly the dark one snorted and slipped into territory both he and Naruto were familiar with. Arguing.

"Dobe."

"Teme," the blonde growled back with a glare. "Don't call me that. Besides you should be showing some gratitude to the guy who saved your life."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. I was just fine without you. I didn't need any help."

"Sure you didn't teme. And you could walk just fine without practically being dragged by two injured 13 year olds on their horse."

"Hn...usuratonkachi." It was amazing how quickly they both reverted back to old habits. No one could get under each other's skin like they could, even after all the time apart. Aya had, by now, unpacked breakfast for him which consisted of some soup. He gave the girl his best Uchiha glare, but like the Dobe next to her, it meant nothing. She just grinned back at him and held up a spoonful of soup to his lips. Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned his head stubbornly in refusal.

"I can feed myself you know." This time it was Naruto who snorted.

"Sure you can teme. With what hand?"

Sasuke looked down and, for the first time, noticed that both of his hands were wrapped. He looked up at Naruto for an explanation. The blond shrugged before explaining.

"You got stabbed in the ;eft hand and you had some burns on your right hand. Used Chidori too much didn't you?"

Sasuke, for some reason, felt tempted to pout. Of course, as an Uchih,a he wouldn't dare. Instead, he gave a long suffering sigh and endured the humiliation of being fed, by a little girl no less. _'Well at least it's not the dobe feeding me. That would be even more humiliating.'_ Once he finished the soup and the dobe checked all his wounds, the enigmatic girl took her leave. Thank goodness, because she was annoying him with her constant fussing over him. As soon as she was gone dark eyes slowly slid back to blue ones and held.

"So Dobe, what are you doing here?

--

_Edited 02/19/2010_


	4. An Uchiha Shocked

**Disclaimer:** I own Naruto and Sasuke….in my dreams anyway.

**a/n:** Yay! I got this chapter completely finished a bit early, so I thought I'd go ahead and post it now. So far I've got about 7 chapters semi finished. And I've noticed it's starting to take on a life of it's own. So I think it's only fair to warn you all before those chapters come up that fairly soon we'll be getting into serious spoiler territory. Probably around chapter 6 or so. Like anything after manga chapter 380 territory. Many of my future chapters will be based on these spoilers and really forms the basis for the rest of the story. Therefore, if you're behind on the manga and haven't heard what's happening, I suggest you catch up before continuing to read. I'd hate to completely spoil someone because of what I've written.

Thanks again to my awesome reviewers and everyone who's reading this fic. Now on with the show!

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Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 3 - An Uchiha Shocked  
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**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

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"So Dobe, what are you doing here? Mission?"

The blond snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right...Mission. Have you been under a rock the last year and a half or something?" Then he stood up and left the room and returned a few minutes later with a mug and held it out to his friend.

"Here, drink this."

Sasuke looked at it dubiously.

"What is this?"

"It's some herbal tea concoction baa-chan made up. Something about healing from the inside or whatever."

"Hn." He took a sip and grimaced slightly at the bitterness but continued drinking. "You never answered my question." He continued without looking up. But he did look up when his ex-teammate heaved a sigh and sat down. That's when he noticed the differences in the boy he used to know. Those bright eyes and that goofy smile were gone. Naruto looked down so his hair covered his eyes. Sasuke wondered what caused the dobe to become so withdrawn and lifeless.

"I don't live in Konoha anymore."

That was NOT on Sasuke's possible list of reasons. Naruto practically _was_ Konoha. It took a few moments for the dark avenger to school his features back into his usual Uchiha blankness after his mouth had dropped slightly open in shock. Though, he couldn't stop the slight stutter from slipping through when he spoke.

"W-What?"

Naruto went on to explain in a monotone, hiding the sadness that he refused to let anyone see. "The old farts on the council finally got tired of the Kyuubi-child. And with Akatsuki breathing down their necks ready to attack Konoha just to get me, they decided I was no longer worth the trouble."

Then he raised his head slightly and Sasuke could see the pain flicker through his eyes before the features became blank once again.

"Being the jerks they were, they called me to their chambers late at night and told me I was banished and had 3 hours to leave. I couldn't even say goodbye to my friends."

"But what about the Hokage? I thought you two were close."

"We are. And she tried, but even she could only do so much. The position of Hokage doesn't mean much these days. It's just a public face for the sake of the village. The ones who really run the show are the council of elders. The Third gave them more power during his second time in office. As much as I loved the old man, he made a big mistake in allowing the council to have so much power. Anyways, they made their decision, most of the council seats agreed, and there was nothing we could do."

Sasuke nodded slowly. He didn't expect the dobe to have a clue about Konoha politics. "So what happened afterward?"

Naruto shrugged. "Eh, I wandered around for a while. It's not like I had any idea where to go. Fortunately, baa-chan gave me a pass that let me into any village that has a relationship with Konoha. Plus having Ero-sennin dragging me all over the world to train came in handy when it came to finding places to stay. I stayed in Suna for a bit. Then I traveled to Wave Country and saw Tsunami and Inari. I even stopped off in Snow for a while and caught up with Princess Fuun."

"Hn. So how did you end up here?"

"Well, I was passing through when I saw a bunch of bandits terrorizing the village. I couldn't let them get away with that, so I stopped them. Afterward, I helped patch up some of the injured. Aya's family invited me to stay for a few days as a thank you, so I did. A few days turned into a week, then two weeks, and then a month. Then I found this place. It had been abandoned years ago, but the frame was still good. I used my shadow clones and, with some help from friends in the village, fixed it up. And with the medic stuff baa-chan taught me, I ended up becoming the closest thing to a doctor they have around here. Now I train Aya in my spare time. She wants to learn medical ninjutsu. And that's it. This is my life now."

He stood up and stretched, then went to the closet and pulled out a robe and a towel. "I cleaned up what I could, but I'm sure you'd probably like a shower. It's the next door on your right. I'll be outside." He placed the items on the stand and walked out, leaving Sasuke with his privacy and a lot to think about.

* * *

In the midst of the trees stood the tall blond, his spiky hair tousled by the wind, his fingers in a ram symbol.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

One man turned into 100, filling the land with identical blond men.

"30 of you go work on this scroll. You 30 work on chakra control. The rest of you are with me."

All the clones dispersed. The group with the real Naruto went a little farther out into a field.

"Alright. Time to warm up with some taijutsu."

All the clones grinned at each other and then ran at their leader with a yell.

* * *

The shower had long gone cold, but Sasuke still stood under the spray as he pondered over what he had heard. The idea of Naruto not in Konoha just seems...wrong. He belonged there. He was supposed to be on the path to his dream of being Hokage, not in some civilian village in Bird Country. This new subdued version of Naruto bothered him much more than he cared to admit. He missed the loud, annoying, grinning usuratonkachi he grew up with.

He finally turned off the water and got out of the shower. He grabbed the towel and dried off his lean pale body. In the bedroom he found some folded clothes on the bed that he assumed were for him to wear. The clothes were a bit baggy for him, but they would do. _'At least they aren't orange.' _ He didn't bother putting on the shirt since he figured Naruto would want to tend to his injuries first.

He walked out of the bedroom to find Naruto on the couch with a roll of bandages in his hand waiting for him.

"Hey teme, boss told me to fix you up."

'_Correction, clone._' "Hn." He raised his arms a bit while the clone checked his stitches and then wrapped his torso.

"Boss says you can come outside if you want. We're training."

Sasuke raised one dark eyebrow. Clone-Naruto grinned.

"What? Just because we're not in Konoha anymore doesn't mean we're not still ninja."

He shrugged in response and followed the clone out the back. The clone poked Sasuke and snickered. "Hey teme, watch this." And then he sped off.

Sasuke's eyes followed the clone as he jumped off the porch and ran towards the rest of the clones that were in the middle of a melee. Jumping high in the air the clone got ready to deliver a crushing drop kick, thinking the boss wouldn't see him coming. Suddenly a hand reached up and grabbed his leg.

"Didn't think I'd see you coming huh?" Naruto glared and threw the clone at a tree where it dispelled upon impact. "Alright guys. I'm done for now." The clones all whooped and hollered dispelling bit by bit until only Naruto remained.

Sasuke internalized all of this with a slight smirk. Naruto may have changed, but it seems his clones still retained much of his old personality. The dobe had improved quite a bit since the last time they met up – not that he'd tell him. He observed the blond, who went to the stream and knelt down and splashed his face and neck with water, then took a drink from it. Naruto was no longer the round-faced, stocky boy he used to know. He was tall – only slightly shorter than himself, broad-shouldered, his face was now more angular. If Naruto wasn't the Kyuubi container he might've ended up with a fanclub to rival his own back in Konoha.

But something else was nagging him. It was a memory, that even after being gone from Konoha for so long, he could still see so clearly. The chiseled face reminded him of a picture that he'd seen many times at the Hokage tower back in Konoha. The Uchiha wasn't called a genius for nothing. And his eyes never lied. There had been speculations whispered in very small circles when he was still in Konoha. Even when he was in Sound there were conversations between Orochimaru and Kabuto speculating about Naruto's origins. But now the evidence was right in front of him. There was no way he could be wrong.

Because Naruto was the spitting image of the Fourth Hokage.

--

_Edited 02/22/2010_

**a/n:** OOH….so let me know what you think of this chapter. I would love a review. Also, I could use a bit of feedback. I've been thinking of doing a chap to catch up with the gang in Konoha. But with a different twist in mind. So what do you think? Should I do one?


	5. Home Truths

**a/n:** I am soooooo sorry about the lateness of this chapter. Storms were really bad in my neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. My basement flooded, the neighbors tree fell on my garage and pulled down the power lines so I had no electricity and was staying with my parents until just a few days ago. So I had no internet until now. Fortunately I'm finally back at home. Sleeping on a sofa bed about killed my back, so yay for a regular bed again! Well, your patience is rewarded with a little bit longer chapter than usual. Hope you enjoy it. Also, thank you to my wonderful reviewers. I'm glad you still find this entertaining.

**Disclaimer:** As much as I'd like to, I don't own Naruto.

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Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 4 - Home Truths  
**

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**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

--

Days went by and Sasuke, for some reason, would always end up going outside to watch Naruto train. Well, he guessed it was better than being stuck cooped up in a tiny house bored out of his mind. For Sasuke, boredom was dangerous. It made him anxious, made him think about things...things that he really didn't care to be reminded of. So instead, he watched the dobe. And every day he watched him make the same amount of clones and separate them into groups to perform various acts. He wondered what his ex-teammate was trying to do. Was it some new form of training? Finally, after watching for days and not finding and answer on his own, he decided to ask.

"Hey dobe, what's with the clones?"

Naruto stopped what he was doing and looked at him, confused at the question. "What do you mean?"

"Every day you do the same thing. You make 100 clones and split them off into three groups to do different things. What's the point?"

Even if Naruto was more subdued than he used to be, he had to smirk at Sasuke. "You mean you don't know the true purpose of shadow clones?"

Sasuke glared in lieu of anything else. He wasn't about to say he didn't know.

"Wow, you mean the great Uchiha Sasuke isn't as perfect as everyone thinks?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up dobe and answer the question." He was angry that Naruto had caught him in a weakness.

"What? Don't want to admit that you don't know, teme? Fine, I'll answer your question. As you know, kage bunshin is a high ranked jutsu. The reason why isn't just because they're solid. Eh...you know what? Explaining this stuff isn't my thing. It'll be easier if I just show you." He sent one of his clones over to Sasuke. "Say something to him and then dispel him."

Sasuke looked dubious.

"Just do it teme."

Sasuke pulled the clone closer to him and whispered something in his ear, then took a kunai and pierced him with it, a cloud of smoke signaled the dispelling. After a few seconds, Naruto sent a quick grin his way before going back to the poker face that Sasuke still wasn't quite used to. "You said and I quote: You are such a dobe. I don't know why I bother listening to you."

Sasuke's eyes widened. He was almost impressed. "You gain whatever knowledge the clone has gained once it's dispelled."

"Yep. I guess a while back it was used for spying. But most people don't have enough chakra to make a lot of them. Obviously, I'm an exception to that rule. Kakashi-sensei showed me how to use them in training to speed up my progress."

Sasuke raised a brow. "Hn...wouldn't that be cheating?"

Naruto snorted derisively. "Oh yeah, you're one to talk Sharingan boy. All you do is copy jutsus and techniques and add them to your arsenal. Other people have to train to exhaustion to learn a jutsu that you can learn instantly."

"It's not my fault I was gifted with a powerful bloodline."

One could almost hear Naruto's teeth grinding at that expression of haughtiness. "Oh sure, don't sound so high and mighty teme. Just because you have some prized bloodline and the village catered to you like you were god's gift doesn't give you the right to just steal something that others work so hard to create or master. I mean really...when's the last time you took a scroll with a jutsu on it, read through it, learned the actual theory behind it, took the time to figure out how much or how little chakra you have to feed into it to make it work, and spent days working on it until you mastered it? Huh teme?"

Sasuke thought about it. He really did. And, to his dismay, he couldn't remember. All the time he was with Orochimaru, the snake would just show him the jutsu, he would copy it with his sharingan, and he would immediately master it after a few tries of his own. Really, even Kakashi was well known as the copy ninja. It wasn't considered abnormal to use the sharingan for that purpose. It was how he learned his favorite technique and later improved upon it. In fact, now that he thought about it, the last time he could remember working that hard was...back then... He could still see it in his mind: trying so hard to gain his father's approval, trying over and over again to do a powerful katon jutsu as well as his brother so that his father could be proud of him. He worked day and night to exhaustion. It seemed like it took him forever before he finally got it right. He remembered being so proud of himself when he pulled it off in front of his father...

He opened his dark eyes to the bright afternoon skies. He didn't even remember closing them. Naruto was nowhere in sight. He sighed and gripped his pants with his fingers. Naruto...he was right. The dobe was absolutely right and it irked him. He knew he could never explain the theory behind a jutsu. He never gave it thought. It had never mattered before. Oh sure he could do it if he bothered to take the time to go through the trouble. But why bother when he could've just copied it, used it, and kept it in his growing arsenal. He really had no right to criticize Naruto. Even if he used his clones, he still did the work himself.

Sasuke stood slowly, still feeling a bit of lingering pain from his injuries. He hated the feeling he always seemed to get around the dobe. What was that feeling? Guilt? Regret? He always felt like he had to justify his actions around him. That he had to rationalize his way of life. He wouldn't lie to himself and say that he didn't regret some of the things he's done, but he was not about to apologize for it. What's done is done. And he had done what he felt he had to do. And he would live with it. With that final thought he went back inside.

* * *

"So teme, what were you doing around these parts anyway?"

Another week had passed. The argument from before had been forgotten and both of them were taking a leisurely walk to the village. Yes, leisurely because Naruto refused to allow Sasuke to move any faster with the stitches in his side and the other healing injuries.

"Traveling," he answered in typical Uchiha fashion.

Naruto rolled his eyes at his (ex?) best friend. "No...really...I'd have never guessed. Still looking for your brother or something?"

Sasuke smirked slightly, yet it didn't really reach his eyes. "Now who's been living under a rock...Itachi's dead."

Naruto almost tripped over his own feet from the shock. "Huh?"

"I'm not repeating myself dobe." Sasuke retorted, looking slightly irritated.

"You?"

"Hn."

"Oh...yeah...right.... Then why are you here instead of repopulating your clan with all the fangirls that I'm sure are waiting for you back at home? If I remember correctly, that was the next goal on your list."

"Like I would waste my time on them. Anyhow, I have no reason to go back to Konoha, not after everything that's happened. Besides, I still have something I have to do first."

By now they had reached the bustling market of the village (which in reality was only about a block long) and they stayed silent since they didn't want others to overhear. Then, much to Sasuke's irritation, they were interrupted by what seemed like every kid under 14 in the village, all clamoring for "Ruka's" attention. Naruto looked like his old self as he played and talked to the kids, but Sasuke knew better. His playfulness didn't match his eyes. His eyes still held on to that dull blue that was so unlike the so-called hyperactive ninja. Adding to his irritation was the fact that he could feel the eyes of every single female in the village on him like radar. The young females were starry eyed, and the older ones were thinking of marriages for their daughters. He felt like a piece of meat on the chopping block. He almost felt the urge to run and hide except Uchihas don't run away.

So, he followed Naruto through the booths and watched him buy food and other necessities to last them for a while. Soon enough, they ran into Aya and Takashi and their parents. Naruto smiled a bit more. He got a kick out of watching them thanking "Sasuke-sama" and bowing or hugging him. Sasuke kept tensing up with their touches. God knows the eternal brooder needs to learn to relax a little. Once the excitement died down, Naruto took a moment to remind Aya about training the next day. And after what seemed like an eternity in Sasuke's mind, they were finally on their way back to Naruto's home. Hopefully, he could avoid having to go back to the village anytime soon.

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle a bit at Sasuke's annoyed expression. "Now you know why I only go into the village once every few weeks."

"Hn."

"Teme, you know that's annoying."

The dark haired man smirked "Hn."

"Dammit teme!"

Sasuke almost let out a laugh, but he was able to hold it in. A bit of the old Naruto was shining through. Maybe all he needed was a bit of a push to return to his old self. And maybe he would have to be just the one to push him.

* * *

That night, while Naruto prepared dinner, Sasuke sat in front of the fireplace and read a scroll. He figured the dobe would be making some form of ramen. He could deal with it for once. It was better than what he had been stuck eating lately while traveling. However, he was unprepared for what he saw placed in front of him – rice, fish and vegetables and onigiri?!

"Uh dobe?"

"What?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in response.

"What? You thought the only thing in the world I could make or eat is ramen?"

"Well, you did give us all that impression." Sasuke deadpanned.

"I told you teme, there are things you don't know about me."

"Hn."

Sasuke decided not to say anything else and dug into the food. He would save his musings for later. It was delicious. Not that the dobe needed to know that. After dinner, both of them relaxed in front of the fire. Both were looking at scrolls when they were interrupted by a poof of smoke.

"Yo!"

"Hey Gamakichi." Naruto welcomed the toad with a small smile.

The small form of the toad hopped on Naruto's head and Sasuke had to work hard to hold in a laugh. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"More mail for you. You know you should feed me for being your personal mail carrier." The toad passed over a pouch.

"Yeah yeah yeah, here you go you greedy toad." Naruto's fingers flew through some hand signs and a bag of candy poofed into existence. "Happy now?"

Gamakichi grinned, not that one could tell on a toad. "Yep. Oh and pops says on your next birthday you're sharing sake with him. No buts this time. I'm just warning you now."

"Yeah yeah, ok. Tell him I'll summon him when the time comes. And I'll call you in a few days with a package to go to Konoha. And make sure you share that candy with Tatsu."

The toad poofed away with a wave of a webbed hand and grumbling about sharing his spoils. Naruto was left with a pile full of mail to go through.

"They send you mail?" Sasuke looked at the pile in disbelief.

"Yes. I promised baa-chan I'd send her updates on me every once in a while. Once everyone else found out that we were sending each other letters, they all wanted in on it. So, they started writing too. They also send me things sometimes. Like that ointment I used on you, Hinata made it for me."

"Ah."

Sasuke watched as the blond opened the first envelope and started reading. It wasn't long before a genuine smile appeared on his face, his blue eyes lighting up for a moment in the way they used to. Naruto remembered his "guest" and looked up grinning sheepishly.

"Uh, so teme, wanna hear some of the news from back home?"

Sasuke shrugged in reply. He really didn't care, but he would humor him. Naruto took that as the closest thing to an affirmative that he would get from the stoic Uchiha and began to regale the latest tales of everyone in Konoha while he listened and drank tea.

"Oh, by the way, Sakura and Lee are engaged."

Sasuke choked and almost spit out his tea.

--

_Edited 02/22/2010_


	6. Who is Naruto?

**a/n:** WOO I just noticed this story and my other story Dark Chakra are in a C2. I'm so excited! THANK YOU! And to my reviewers, you keep me writing. I've even got another story I'm writing that I'll be posting soon.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto…Really…I don't -hides Naruto and Sasuke in my closet-

**Warning****:** This chapter gets pretty angsty and a bit OOC. Although, I think Naruto has always been susceptible to breaking down every once in a while. He has an excuse.

* * *

**Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 5 - Who is Naruto?  
**

* * *

--

**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

--

It had been 3 weeks since Sasuke had been brought to "Ruka's" door just outside the little village of Ogawa. He was healing up nicely and had even begun to have light sparring sessions with Naruto, in between his training time with Aya. He had asked Naruto why he was training the girl. Naruto had given him an unreadable expression before he answered. "Because they need someone to take care of the village. She has the smarts for it. And she came from a ninja background so she has the ability to use chakra. Besides, as much as I might like it here, I can't stay forever." Then he had smiled and gone back to observing his female student. Meanwhile, Sasuke was left wondering about the dobe's maturity level. It just added to the ever growing mystery that was Uzumaki Naruto. He had a checklist in his head of all the baffling things he'd learned about the blonde since he arrived, such as:

One, Naruto can cook. Not just ramen...but actual FOOD. It shocked the hell out of him the first time he saw Naruto making something that didn't involve boiling water and a three minute wait time. So, the dobe likes ramen, but it's not the food of the gods like he constantly told everyone in Konoha.

Two, Orange is NOT his favorite color. He found this out a couple of days after the food incident. He had gone to the closet to look for some clothes to wear. Of course, he assumed that his options would be limited to orange, orange, and more orange, only to discover no orange. Not...one...stitch of obnoxiously bright orange in the closet. Blacks, reds, blues, even some greens, but no orange. When he finally confronted the younger male, he was given a look of disgust. "What ninja would wear orange?" he said, leaving Sasuke in the very non-Uchiha-like position of gaping. Naruto had walked away laughing.

Three, Naruto has pretty good chakra control. Not as good as his, definitely not as good as Sakura's, but better than he had ever let on. Although, he wouldn't dare allow him to use a chakra scalpel on him.

Now armed with this information, and more, Sasuke had come to the following unexpected, yet only plausible, conclusion: Naruto was not the person he thought he knew all these years. Was Naruto wearing a mask? He should know. He had his own. But if his conclusions were correct, that dobe may have even bested his own. Wouldn't that be ironic?

Of course, now he just had to decide how to ask him about it. He couldn't just come out with it and risk angering the dobe. Speaking of...

"Hey dobe." Naruto stopped his walk toward the kitchen.

"What teme."

"You've changed." Sasuke could've smacked himself for being so blunt. What happened to not just coming out with it? _'Smooth Sasuke, real smooth.'_

Naruto shrugged. "So?"

"So, what's up with you?"

"Nothing. Why would you think something's up with me?" That tell tale hand went up to the back of the spiky head and rubbed. Sasuke raised his brow.

"Because you only rub the back of your head when you're nervous about something." Naruto quickly dropped the arm.

"AND, your fingers on your left hand twitch when you lie."

Naruto looked shocked. "B-but h-how could you…"

"Know? Even if I may not know as much about you as I thought, I still know more than anyone else dobe." Sasuke smirked.

Naruto rolled his eyes and pushed him on the other side of the couch. "Bastard."

"You've worn a mask all this time?" Naruto didn't say yes or no. "So, how long?"

Naruto sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. Since as far back as I can remember, I guess."

"Why?"

"Oh no teme, I'm not bearing my soul unless you bear yours too. When you're ready to tell me why you wear _your_ mask, maybe then I'll talk." Naruto sat down across from Sasuke with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Who said I wear one at all?"

A snort came from the blond. "Only a person with a mask of his own would be able to recognize another mask. So what's your reason teme? Or are you not up for sharing."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and replied blandly, "Hn...that's easy... I'm an Uchiha. We don't show emotion. We pride ourselves on being able to hide our emotions. It's been drilled into us since birth. Now, your turn."

"Hey! That's not even close to an explanation." Naruto growled. "Everyone already knows that."

"It is one. And for now that's all you're getting."

Both of them sat mostly in the dark. Neither of them bothered with a lamp, the glow of the fireplace was enough illumination for the time being. The shadows tended to be good hiding places usually, but at the moment, they were of no solace, for the golden orange light only seemed to reflect Sasuke's dark eyes that stared intensely into Naruto's as he waited for an answer.

Naruto pouted and grumbled about being tricked, but after a couple of minutes his face crinkled in deep thought. Finally, he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair again, causing the locks to seem even more unruly and slumped back in the chair before he began.

"Well, you know how much I was hated in much of the village...for obvious reasons." At his friend's nod he continued.

"You can't imagine what it's like at such a young age...dealing with the glares, being called a monster, death threats, ninjas and villagers alike pulling me into alleys and beating me to within an inch of my life, parents making sure their children don't come near me, my apartment being destroyed over and over again. I had to constantly move. Sometimes I didn't even go home. I camped out in the woods rather than deal with the alternative. You don't know how hard it was for the old man to convince the council to let me attend the academy. They didn't want me to go. The villagers had fits when they found out about it and the academy teachers didn't want me there either. And because of that, the teachers made my academy days hell. You probably wouldn't believe it, but my first year I wasn't such a 'dead last'."

Seeing the raised dark eyebrow Naruto growled, "Shut up teme."

"What? I didn't even say anything." Sasuke raised his hands and tried to look innocent.

"Whatever teme, you were thinking it though. Anyways, I actually started the academy a year before you did. However, because - God forbid - I seemed to show intelligence, everyone became even more afraid of me. I guess they thought the demon child would use all the knowledge to destroy the village or something. So, the teachers began to sabotage me. My books would disappear without a trace and they wouldn't let me get more. I didn't figure it out until later, but they started putting genjutsus on my tests so that even if I had the right answers they were in the wrong order so I wouldn't pass. When we would train with weapons, I would always end up with bent or rusted ones so I could never learn to aim or throw properly. They gave me a taijutsu style that really wasn't one at all. You remember how stupid I looked when we had to spar that one time."

"Hn." Sasuke remembered that well. The dobe had definitely looked like one. The stance itself was a source of comic relief.

"Didn't you ever wonder why the tests ALWAYS included doing a bunshin? It was really because they knew _I_ couldn't do one. By making sure a bunshin was always one of the things in the test, it guaranteed that I wouldn't pass. Eventually I got tired of the games and stopped trying."

Naruto let out a sigh, his head was down so Sasuke couldn't see his face. Sasuke took his pause as an opportunity to talk.

"But what about Iruka. I thought he liked you."

"Not in the beginning. He was like everyone else. It was only after he got to know me and saw I was just a normal child that just happened to have a demon sealed in his gut that he began to treat me differently."

"Well that still doesn't explain why you hid your true self."

"Of course it does. Being my true self made everyone hate me more. But, the more I acted the part of the loud-mouthed idiot, the easier it made things for me. The villagers didn't feel as threatened. The teachers figured I wouldn't pass so they stopped sabotaging my papers, though they still gave me old weapons. And ninja who hated me stopped trying to kill me. They figured if I ever did make genin, I would be so pathetic at it that an enemy would do them all a favor and kill me on a mission."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as the realization sunk in. "So the ramen, wearing orange, all the pranks, the loud antics..."

"All part of the act. Well, the pranks not so much, I just like to do em." He added with a brief grin. "But yeah, everything else is all just part of the act. Well, actually, the ramen wasn't either. I do like it, but not that much, as you found out. However, I had no money. I paid overblown amounts for rent, food and clothes cost me double and sometimes triple what everyone else paid. And ramen was cheap. But more importantly, it wasn't tampered with. You see, every chance the cashier got, they would switch my food with stuff that was spoiled. Most restaurants wouldn't even let me in. And the ones that did would poison my food. That's why I mostly ate at Ichiraku's, because they treated me normally.

"As for the orange, that's the only thing the merchants would sell me. I think they wanted to make sure I'd be the easiest target ever. I hated the color. After a while though, I noticed that people always underestimated me because of the orange. Plus it was a great test of my stealth skills. So I decided to keep the orange and use it to my advantage. And I won't lie, I was annoyed myself at how loud I was...so I know everyone else was just as annoyed. But it kept people thinking I was an idiot, which is what I wanted because as long as I acted like that, everyone would leave me alone, for the most part."

Sasuke's mind reeled. So all this time the dobe was not really a dobe at all. He hadn't expected just about everything he thought he knew about Naruto to be a well planned act. The thought only made him hate Konoha even more, knowing what Naruto had been through over the years. But, he wondered...

"Naruto? How did the Third convince the council to let you become a ninja?"

"Well," he answered slowly, his fingers twisting together, "I uh...had to agree to...just a few...conditions." Sasuke's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Conditions?"

"...Yeah."

"What conditions?" One dark eyebrow raised.

"I couldn't attack any villager, no matter what." Naruto wouldn't look up, an indication to Sasuke that there was more to it than what was said.

"And?" Sasuke prompted. If Naruto had looked up, he would've seen black eyes boring into his.

"And...I wouldn't be allowed to get above a certain rank." At this point, Naruto was beginning to look like Hinata with the way he was moving his fingers. Sasuke had a sinking feeling in his gut.

"What rank?" he asked. His voice had gone dangerously quiet.

Naruto looked anywhere but at Sasuke. "It doesn't really matter now, does it?" he replied softly.

"What rank dobe?" Sasuke refused to be deterred. Considering what he had learned about the council, he had a feeling where this was going, and just the possibility was making his temper rise. Naruto mumbled something.

"What?"

Naruto jumped up growling. "CHUUNIN ALRIGHT?! I'm forbidden from achieving anything beyond that. There, now you can laugh and gloat about you and everyone else being better than me and me being nothing but a dead last." He turned and ran from the room, out the door, and disappeared into the forest.

* * *

Deep in the forest Naruto kept running, finally stopping when he could no longer breathe. He dropped to the ground on his hands and knees. His breath hitched as dry sobs were wrenched from his throat. He hated this feeling. Now his biggest rival knew everything about him, knew how weak he was, and it hurt. "I HATE THIS!!" he yelled to the sky. He jumped up and screamed as he gathered chakra and slammed a rasengan into the tree destroying it.

"What did that tree ever do to you?" a silky quiet voice interrupted before he could damage anything else. Naruto released the chakra. His breath came out in pants and he slumped in defeat. He didn't even turning in the pale one's direction.

"Go away...Sasuke." He whispered.

"No."

Naruto heard light footsteps before he felt arms wrap around him and pull him back into a hard chest. He tried to wrestle and wiggle his way out without success.

"Let go of me."

"No."

He panicked and struggled to get away from the warmth, the comfort that those pale arms provided. He didn't want Sasuke to see him break down.

"Let...go...of...me."

Sasuke only squeezed tighter. He knew his friend needed this, even if he didn't want it. Naruto's blue eyes filled with tears and he bit his lip in order to try to hold in the sobs.

"Please...Sasuke..." he begged almost desperately.

"No, I won't." he whispered in his ear.

Naruto could no longer stop the sob that finally ripped from him and he fell to his knees on the forest floor. Sasuke fell right with him with his arms still around him. Tears dripped off his chin as he finally gave in, his body shaking in sobs, letting out all the emotions he's hidden away for the past year and a half, all the many years of frustration and pain. The mask he kept erected for so long shattered and crumbled into dust. And Sasuke just held him and ran his fingers through the blond hair and waited for the onslaught of tears to end. When the sobs finally subsided into slight hitching, Sasuke turned Naruto around to face him, placed a finger under his chin and raised the tanned face to his.

"Naruto..." He paused, unsure of himself or what to say. He wasn't good at comforting really. After a moment, though, he decided that if Naruto could drop his mask, then he could drop his own emotionless mask as well. "Naruto, do you know why, even after everything, I consider you my best friend?"

He shook his head and bloodshot eyes looked up into pools of black. His pale hands slid up to his whiskered cheeks, wiping any evidence of tears. "Because you never put me on a pedestal, you didn't treat me like the rest of the village did – all of them were ready to fall at my feet because of who I was. I considered you my rival because you were the only one that made me go all out. You were so much stronger than anyone gave you credit for and your emotions just made you that much stronger. Deep down I was always jealous of you."

"O-of me? Why?"

"Because to me, you always seemed to be getting better while I was just staying where I was. I hated it. I left because I had to become stronger. If I couldn't beat you, how was I supposed to beat my brother? I couldn't be weak. And I didn't have time to waste."

"B-but, you're not weak."

"I know that now. And neither are you. You're one of the strongest people I care to know." He brushed the blond's unruly bangs out of his face. "Do you think just anyone would be able to harbor a demon and deal with the evil destructive thoughts that it puts in your head and still stay sane? How many people could deal with the people in the village the way you have and not want to tear the village apart? I know I couldn't."

Tears began to fill Naruto's eyes again, this time from his best friend's comforting words.

"Besides do ranks really matter? If you want to be technical about it, I never got past genin. Does that make me weak?"

"Hell no."

"And being chuunin doesn't make you weak either. It just makes us both...underestimated."

They searched each others eyes. Sasuke's lips slowly formed a smirk, Naruto's slowly formed a smile...a true smile. "Yeah...I like that. Underestimated."

Sasuke stood up and held out his hand. "Now lets go home. You owe me for this."

"Yeah yeah, whatever teme." Naruto grabbed on and let Sasuke pull him up. Sasuke turned and walked off, not even bothering to see if Naruto was following.

--

_Edited 02/25/2010_


	7. Therapy Session

**a/n:** Thanks for all the awesome reviews. I'll admit now, I was a tad bit worried about how the last chapter would work out. Anyways, enjoy this quick short chapter before the holiday weekend. I figured I would be too busy to do much this weekend so I'd go ahead and post what I've got. It's more of a quick flashback thing anyway. Also, now that school started and I work in a school district, my updates will probably be a bit slower than before. I work all year round, but since there's not much work to do during the summer I got a lot of writing done. Now that school started it's super busy. So now I'll have to write at home, which I don't have as much time for. But I will do my best to get chapters out for both of my stories as often as I can. Capiche? Good :D Now on with the show!

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto, I wouldn't have spent half a year of the manga on Uchiha history without a lick of Naruto or any other character in it.

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 6 - Therapy Session**

* * *

--

**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

--

Over the next few days Sasuke had, unwittingly, turned into Naruto's personal therapist. It seemed that as soon as one door opened everything began to spill out. Naruto started telling Sasuke everything he had been through during most of his young life. The whole catharsis ended up leaving Naruto exhausted. So while he was in bed, Sasuke was on the couch organizing his thoughts. He was dealing with more emotions in the past few days than he had let himself feel in ages

He hated how the village had treated Naruto. No child should have had to deal with so much hatred. How could any adult treat a little boy so horribly?

What made him angry, though, was that he never ever noticed. They were _teammates_ after all. He should've seen something amiss. But he knows why he didn't and he felt the stirrings of guilt building because of it. He considered the loudmouthed blond an annoyance and did his best to avoid being with him outside of missions. The few times the team went together for ramen, he never paid any attention to the people around him, so he never saw the looks directed toward the blond. The times that Naruto came to the training grounds late and bruised up he had always chalked up to him annoying somebody into hurting him. Though, really, what could he have done to help? Even jounin ninja hated him, some anbu too. What could he have done against that? Even though he was considered a prodigy, Kakashi ran circles around him.

And the village laid the blame for his leaving on the innocent boy. If only they knew what had really happened at the Valley of the End. Naruto had fought so hard to bring him home. And he left him for dead. He wondered what the village would think if they new that? And then the council of elders later kept him practically imprisoned in Konoha using the threat of Akatsuki as an excuse.

But nothing angered him more than what Naruto revealed about an hour ago.

flashback

_"So, there was something I've always wondered about dobe..." _

_"What?" _

_"How did you graduate? I know you didn't pass the exam because you didn't come back to class." _

_"Oh yeah, that? Remember when they found out Mizuki-sensei was a traitor and all? Well, it was because of me." At Sasuke's look of confusion he went on. _

_"He came to me later after I failed and told me about another way to pass. I was too stupid then to understand what he was doing. But he told me that if I stole the forbidden scroll, Iruka-sensei would let me graduate. __I was so desperate to pass that __I fell for it hook, line and sinker. I stole it and went into the woods to wait for Mizuki or Iruka-sensei. I got bored while waiting for them to show up, so I started looking at the scroll to see if I could learn anything from it. Everything on there was too complicated to learn, except for one. It ended up being the kage bunshin. Well then Iruka-sensei came, I ended up finding out I was just a dupe, and Mizuki tried to kill us both. That's also when I found out about the kyuubi." _

_"Wait...you mean you didn't know?" Sasuke eyes went wide. _

_"No. Mizuki revealed it while he was gloating. I remember being alone and all the time wondering why no one ever wanted me, why everyone hated me so much when I hadn't done anything to them. Well, I finally understood because of Mizuki and at that point I wanted to just die. Especially when it seemed like even Iruka-sensei was going to take Mizuki's side. But he stuck up for me and dived in front of me and took a giant shuriken in the back to protect me. When he got hurt I just lost it. I ended up creating I don't know how many clones and beat him to a pulp. Iruka-sensei ended up giving me his hitai-ite and told me I passed." _

_"Hmm...so you learned Kage Bunshin on your own?" _

_"Yeah. Don't sound so surprised teme. It's not like it wasn't unusual for me. I've pretty much had to do everything on my own since I was three. Not like I had a choice." Naruto finished with a grumble. _

_"What do you mean had no choice?" _

_"Well, when I was holed up in Konoha with nothing to do, baa-chan let me help her do paperwork and organize stuff. She gave me clearance to work on anything but S-class stuff. One day I was filing when I found some papers that had my name on it in the wrong file. My file is considered S-class. **I've** never even seen it. I know I shouldn't have read it but I was curious. Because of my cursed curiosity I ended up finding out something that suddenly made everything very clear to me." Naruto paused._

_"Well?" _

_"You remember all of those times I would beg Kakashi-sensei for more training and he blew me off to train you?" _

"_Hn."_

_"Well there's an explanation for that." He cleared his throat. "And I quote: It has been decreed by the council of Konoha that no Konoha shinobi will be allowed to teach Uzumaki Naruto anything beyond basic knowledge of being a shinobi. Anyone who disregards this law will be stripped of their current rank and will do missions without pay for a period of 6 months. A second offense will lead to stripping of status as shinobi of Konoha." _

_Sasuke was left gaping and he shook his head in disbelief. "B-but...that's not possible. We trained together every day. You learned what we learned, right?" Naruto shook his head sadly.  
_

_"No Sasuke, we **sparred** together. The only thing Kakashi actually **trained** me to do was climb trees. And truthfully, I think I learned more from watching you and Sakura then from him. It was probably just my determination to keep up with you." _

_"But even after that..." _

_Naruto interrupted Sasuke, his voice bitter, "...he taught me nothing else Sasuke. Chuunin exams came...and guess who he took for one-on-one training." Sasuke didn't need to say anything. He already knew the answer. _

_"Hell, he didn't care about me then or if he did, he never showed it. At the exams, he was so focused on taking care of your curse seal that he never even noticed that I could hardly use my chakra in my fight with Kiba. That hebi-teme had done something to my seal when we were fighting him. Of course, like everyone else in the place, he never expected me to win anyway. Afterward, I figured he would be proud of me for winning. Instead, I got passed off to another pervert of a sensei who didn't even like me, while you got a month of training from him. Ebisu had the nerve to start teaching me chakra control from scratch like I was still an academy student instead of helping me develop something, anything that could help me in my fight against Neji. Fortunately, Ero-sennin came along. After I convinced him to train me, he ended up being the one that saw there was something wrong with the seal and fixed it. He also wasn't bound by the village rules since he was a sannin and was usually away from the village. He took me on the road for three years so he could train me without trouble and keep me safe from Akatsuki. I'm sure the council knew what he was doing when he took me away. They probably didn't like it, but they couldn't do anything about it. He might have been a super pervert who spent more time peeping and working on his Icha Icha books than being around to help me train, but he ended up being the best sensei I had." He sighed. "I miss that old pervert." _

_Naruto paused for a moment as he grew sad at the thought of Jiraiya. He shook himself and ran his hand through his hair before continuing. " I guess __Kakashi-sensei __had a change of heart later – or maybe he just finally said screw the council. He and Yamato-sensei started helping me with my wind element. They did it in secret in one of the farthest training grounds. Only baa-chan and my team knew. Oh and Asuma-sensei. He helped too since he was the only other wind user in the village." _

end flashback

Sasuke didn't look it - he typically looked calm after all - but he was floored by all the information. If he had known all of this before, he probably would have gone with his creepy masked relative. As it was, he had been seriously tempted, not that Naruto needed to know that. But, things might just work out better this way. Though he wasn't with Madara, he was still an avenger. He still had some people he needed to take care of back in Konoha. However, if Naruto had still been in Konoha, it would've made things difficult for him. He really hadn't wanted to fight the dobe. And he knew the blonde would've fought for that damn council, even though they were the ones that made his life miserable, all under the name of his love for Konoha and it's precious people. Yes, it was definitely better this way.

He hoped, now that Naruto had gotten everything off his chest, that he would start getting back to his normal self. Well, whatever normal was for the dobe. He was no longer a loudmouthed idiot and he doubted Naruto would ever be that again, especially since it was never really HIM. But at least now his smiles are beginning to look more genuine.

Actually, it doesn't bother him that much that Naruto is quieter. In fact, if he had to be completely honest with himself, he would say that he liked this Naruto...quite a lot.

--

Edited 02/26/2010


	8. The Truth Behind The Lies

**a/n:** Thanks for the reviews. I didn't expect much with the last chapter since it was so short, but yay me!

**Disclaimer:** Of course I own Naruto…see? holds up a hot fanart poster Ok fine, I don't.

**Warning:** Manga spoilers for ohhh…everything chapter 380 and beyond abound in this chapter. Hopefully most of you keep up with it. You have been warned.

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 7 - The Truth Behind The Lies  
**

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--

**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

--

Two months had gone by since Sasuke came to Bird Country. He was completely healed now and had even begun to help Naruto train Aya. Spending so much time with Kabuto, you learn a few things about medical jutsu. In fact, because he had better chakra control, he became her teacher in medical jutsu while Naruto continued to work with her on increasing her chakra.

On this particular night, Naruto and Sasuke were sitting on the porch enjoying the peace and quiet. Neither of them said much. Sasuke couldn't help but laugh to himself at the thought of what used to be the loudmouth of Konoha not saying a word. If any of the blond's friends saw him, they'd think something was seriously wrong.

"Ne, Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"What happened? I mean...with you and..."

"Itachi?" Naruto nodded.

Sasuke sighed. Naruto took that to mean something negative and waved his hands at his friend.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I was just wondering."

It was silent once again. Sasuke stretched out on his back and looked out at the stars through the canopy of trees.

"We met, fought, and he told me about Madara."

"Madara?"

"The only other Uchiha who is still alive." Naruto waved his hands once again.

"Wait, wait, wait. I may not be the smartest person ever, but even I know that he was one of the founding fathers of Konoha. He should be long dead."

"Should, but isn't. Don't ask. Anyhow, we kept fighting until I was completely out of chakra. He came closer and closer. I thought I was going to die. He kept telling me he was going to take my eyes." Naruto looked disgusted.

"Your eyes?"

"Yes. There is another version of the Sharingan. Madara achieved it by taking his twin brother's eyes for his own. Itachi told me that the mangekyou eventually causes the user to go blind. That's what happened to Madara." Naruto's eyes widened.

"By the time I fought Itachi, he was close to being blind himself from overuse of the sharingan. If he took my eyes, he would never have to worry about blindness again. In fact, he would've ended up with even more power. Also, with our eyes, we have the ability to control the nine tailed fox."

"Like you did that time you were in my head?"

Sasuke nodded and continued. "Itachi poured what was left of his power into his last attack. I could hardly move afterward. But when he was right in front of me he did something totally unexpected. He whispered something to me and then poked me in the forehead. He hadn't done that to me since I was a child. He died right there."

"That's it?!" Naruto asked incredulously. By now Sasuke had sat up, and Naruto with him.

"No, there's more. I passed out immediately afterward. When I came to, I was in some room with a man in an orange mask watching me. Eventually, he took off his mask and introduced himself. He was Uchiha Madara. He started telling me stories on the history of the clan - his relationship with his brother, with the first hokage, how the two of them could summon and control the Kyuubi, their battle at the valley of the end, how he lived through it and came to train Itachi. By the time he was finished I had learned that everything I thought I knew about Itachi was a lie."

"I don't understand."

"Itachi killed the clan, but it wasn't on some whim like he told me. It was actually an order from the council."

"WHAAAAAT?!" Naruto's mouth dropped open.

"According to Madara, the Uchiha clan was planning a coup. Supposedly my father was the ringleader. Itachi became a double agent, reporting all information on the council to the Uchiha clan, but at the same time reported the Uchiha clan's doings to the council. The elders decided the Uchiha were too big a threat to peace and ordered him to annihilate the entire clan. The Third was against it and he tried to negotiate with the clan. When it failed, Itachi followed orders, with Madara's help."

"So all that stuff he spouted about testing his capacity..."

"Was complete bull. In the end, it seems everything he did was to help me. He wanted me to become strong enough to defeat him and attain what I have now." He flashed his eyes briefly into it's newest form, which made Naruto gasp. "He joined Akatsuki, which Madara created, but in reality it was to keep watch, by order of the Third." Suddenly Naruto's eyes lit up in recognition.

"Oh Kami...He was Jiraiya's spy." Sasuke looked up as Naruto stammered on, still shocked at the revelation. "I-I..never would've.... I know he said he had a spy in Akatsuki, but I never really thought about who it could be. I figured maybe some little known member. But Itachi? Wow."

Sasuke wasn't prepared for Naruto's arms to wrap around him. He tensed up immediately, not used to any kind of contact at all. "Teme, relax. A hug won't kill you." At Naruto's suggestion, he did slightly. While he wasn't sure how to handle it, he knew the blond was doing much the same thing he did for him not long ago. "Damn those elders! They've really screwed with our lives eh?" Naruto muttered. The dark head nodded in agreement. The two of them stayed that way for a while until Sasuke felt like talking again.

"There's something more...something you need to know." Sasuke lightly pushed Naruto's arms away. He decided it was time for Naruto to know exactly how those elders played with his life...how much they were keeping from him. He sighed and looked into his eyes. "Naruto, have you ever asked anyone about your parents?"

Naruto looked confused for a moment at the change in subject and wondered why he would want to know that now. "Well, yeah...I remember asking the old man once. He said my parents died during the attack. I looked for their names on the memorial stone but I never saw anyone with the name Uzumaki, so I figured they must've been some random civilians and that he didn't know much of anything about them."

"That's not possible."

"Eh? What do you mean it's not possible?"

"Even if they weren't ninja, every single person - ninja or not - has a record on file in the village. There's no way he wouldn't have at least known who they were."

"But...the old man...he wouldn't lie to me."

"He didn't." Naruto sent an irritated glare at Sasuke.

"Well then what are you going on about?"

"Let me finish dobe. He didn't lie. He said they _died during the attack_. And, if I'm right, they did. He just avoided giving you any information. And at that age, you probably never thought to ask anything more."

"But why would he do that?"

"For the same reasons Itachi would lie to me." Sasuke watched as understanding filtered through the blue gaze.

"Those damn elders."

"I believe so."

"Wait, that means...you know who my parents are?"

"I have a theory...well, about one of your parents anyway."

"Tell me." Naruto sat straighter. His eyes bored into dark onyx.

"I shouldn't. I don't know for sure and I don't want to lead you on only to be wrong." Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Then you shouldn't have brought it up. Too late now. So, what do you think? Give me your gut feeling."

Sasuke almost laughed. Ahh, the dobe. He raised a single eyebrow, "Gut feeling?"

"What? I'm serious. I just want to know how sure you are."

"I said I had a _theory_. What more do you want from me?"

"I want you to tell me your theory...duh!"

"Dobe..."

"Sasuke...Just tell me. Please?"

Sasuke wanted to say no, he really did. But the earnest look in his friend's eyes gave him pause. And Naruto hardly ever begged...

"Fine." He sighed before continuing. "As I said, I don't know for sure. Your mother, I am assuming, is where your last name came from. As for who she is, I haven't a clue. There was never anyone with the name Uzumaki born in Konoha, that's for sure. So whoever she was, she wasn't from the village. As for your father..."

Naruto held his breath. He saw his hands were slightly shaking and clenched his hands in his pants to stop them. He bit his lip and waited nervously.

"...well, actually, I shouldn't have to tell you."

"Huh?" Naruto deflated. He looked at Sasuke, confused. Sasuke poked Naruto in the forehead.

"Dobe. Just go look at yourself in a mirror. It should be obvious who you are related to."

Naruto didn't bother moving, even though his eyes grew wide. It had always been a question that haunted him when he was alone at night. He wasn't stupid. He didn't need a mirror. He knew what he looked like. And he certainly knew _who_ he looked like. Heck, the villagers knew who he looked like and they hated him even more for the resemblance. So the suspicion had always been there. The spiky blond hair was a dead giveaway. No one else had hair like that in Konoha. Actually he never saw anyone else with blond hair but the Yamanakas...and it was a lighter shade.

"You think the Fourth is my father."

It was a statement, not a question. A final confirmation of a truth buried deep in his heart that he had always refused to acknowledge for fear of ever getting his hopes up. Sasuke was a genius. He would never have brought it up if he wasn't almost 100 percent sure of being right. Naruto closed his eyes as a flood of emotions went through him. He really wasn't sure what to feel. Part of him was glad that he might finally know the truth. However, a bigger part was angry. If this was true - and deep down, he knew it was - it meant his own father chose the village over him. The thought hurt him deeply. It meant his own father was the person responsible for sealing the Kyuubi inside of him...his own father was the one who caused him to be hated and condemed to a life of being hunted by those who wanted the power inside of him.

If this was true, he wasn't sure he could ever forgive the man he had always considered his hero.

Sasuke could see the distress on Naruto's face and brushed his fingers lightly on his shoulder. Naruto opened his eyes and looked at his friend. "As I said, it's a theory. There's only one way we'll know for sure."

"How?"

"We go back."

"To Konoha?"

"To Konoha."

-

-

**a/n:** Yeah, I know, short again. But I'll make up for it in the next chapter. Promise. Sasuke's turn at angst is next!

_Edited 02/26/2010_


	9. The Sealmaster and Sasuke

**a/n:** I know it probably sounds redundant by now, but thank you so much for your reviews. They inspire me so much to keep writing. You have no idea how much it helps me to be confident enough to keep working in my ideas. Now, on with the show yeah. Phew! This was a hard chapter to write the way I wanted it. I've probably gone over it a million times. I hope you like how it turned out.

**Warning:** So, you were wondering when Sasuke would end up with his out of character moment? This is it, be prepared. Even someone as stoic as him can have their moments right?

**Disclaimer:** Of course I own Naruto…see? holds up a hot fanart poster Ok fine, I don't. pouts

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* * *

Hiding Behind Masks  
**

**Ch. 8 - The Sealmaster and Sasuke**

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--

**Speaking:** "Blah blah"

**Thoughts:** _'Blah blah'_

--

"_As I said, it's a theory. There's only one way we'll know for sure." _

"_How?" _

"_We go back."_

"_To Konoha?"_

"_To Konoha."_

* * *

Neither spoke for a while, both taking a moment to contemplate the implications. Naruto, for some reason, had names going through his head...names of people he assumed just HAD to have known. He couldn't imagine Ero-sennin not knowing, for obvious reasons. Tsunade-baa-chan was the Hokage, it would be shocking if she didn't know. He even flirted with the possibility that Kakashi may have known as well. The Fourth was Kakashi's sensei, after all. How many others knew the truth? The entire council? Other high ranked ninja? The idea that information about his real family was withheld from him his entire life by people he considered his family was upsetting. However, now the pressing issue was getting back home.

"Well teme, since you're a missing nin, and I've been banished, how do you expect us to get into Konoha?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What? You think it's impossible? If Orochimaru could disguise himself during the chunnin exams and no one was the wiser and Itachi could get in and out of Konoha unnoticed, what makes you think we couldn't?"

Naruto looked unconvinced.

"Look, you have an easy weapon at your disposal, as much as it pains me to say it."

"What are you talking about?"

"That appalling sexy jutsu of yours. And since it's basically switching yourself into a girl, it doesn't use much chakra. You'd just have to add a henge for your eye and hair color and you could go right through the front gate. I'd just go in through the back."

"Huh? What back?"

Sasuke smirked and leaned over to whisper conspiratorially in Naruto's ear, as if someone else could listen. "If I really wanted to get into the village, I could get in at any time. The Uchiha compound has an underground tunnel that leads out of the village from the Uchiha council meeting room. It was put in ages ago in case of an emergency. I didn't know until much later, of course, but that's how Itachi always got in the village with no one noticing."

"Hmm...that sounds like a nice plan. But I think I've got one better." Naruto announced in a sing-song voice with a grin.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah right, dead last. Like you could come up with something better."

"That's fake dead last to you teme! And as for my plan? One word. Seals."

"Seals? What would you know about seals dobe?"

Naruto smirked, got up and went inside. A few minutes later, he came out with a notebook under his arm. He tossed it to Sasuke, who glanced at it before looking back up at Naruto.

"What's this?"

Naruto shrugged. "Take a look."

He opened the book and, as he flipped through the pages, he became more and more amazed although one couldn't tell from his face. _'How much have you been hiding Naruto?'_ "How long have you been doing this?" he asked aloud.

"Years. Ever since I found out about Kyuubi. Even more after you left. I read every piece of information I could find about them because I wanted to find out more about the Yondaime's seal. Later, it became about Orochimaru's seal so I could find a way to help you. Then Neji's so I could keep my promise to him. After a while it became an obsession of mine. Eventually, I started making my own seals. Ero-sennin ended up finding out one night when he was snooping through my stuff while I was asleep. Of course, he told baa-chan. They examined all my stuff, gave me some test, next thing you know, I was classified as a sealmaster. No one knew but the three of us."

"Interesting...So what does that have to do with us?"

"I can make a seal that will allow us to be in a permanent henge without anyone being able to sense chakra."

"How?"

"Do you remember what Tsunade looks like?" At his nod, Naruto went on. "She's one of the original sannin, but she looks like she's in her 30's. Why? A permanent henge. She has that little diamond on her forehead. It basically has the same function as a seal. A bit of her chakra goes into it and keeps her looking young. Basically, the same would apply. I draw up a seal, put some of my chakra into it, place it on the skin, a bit of blood, a few hand seals and BAM! Permanent henge using the chakra in the seal to hold it together. And the awesome part is it can't be broken unless you know the hand seals and the blood matches. Oh, I can even make the seal look like a cool tattoo so no one will even think it's a seal. Pretty cool huh."

"Hn."

"Teme, you're supposed to be impressed."

"Hn."

"Bastard." Naruto growled.

Sasuke smirked. He loved messing with the blonde.

"Jerk, you know it's a better idea than yours."

"Hn...maybe."

Naruto grabbed his notebook and smacked Sasuke upside the head. Sasuke tried to glare up at the dobe, but his mouth kept twitching. And finally after weeks of keeping it in, he couldn't hold it back anymore and started laughing. And once he started, he couldn't stop. Naruto looked down at his friend like he had cracked. And, for some reason, that just made the raven laugh harder. Naruto chuckled at first, then started laughing with him. Both of them ended up on their backs, Sasuke holding his stomach and Naruto wiping tears.

"So, teme, why are we laughing?"

"I have no idea. But it felt good."

"Yeah."

Sasuke smiled, a true genuine smile. Naruto turned his head and smiled back. For some reason, maybe it was the full moon or something, he found it natural to slide his hand over into his friend's. Even Sasuke was so comfortable that he had no problem intertwining their fingers. They both stayed that way for a time, listening to the sounds of the night. It was a while before Sasuke's quiet voice spoke up again.

"I haven't done that in a long time. Actually, no...never. Everything was so serious in our house. My father was so unapproachable. I was afraid of him. He never smiled. All he ever talked about was the clan and training. And he would go on and on about my brother being the genius of the clan. I trained so hard to try to get him to acknowledge me. But all he ever saw was Itachi. It wasn't until right before the massacre that he actually said he was proud of me."

Sasuke paused, reminiscing a bit. Naruto just sat back and waited. Sasuke had never talked about his family before and who knew if he'd ever hear about them again.

"My mother, she liked to sing and she had the most beautiful smile. She brightened up the house, just with her presence. She would always greet me and hug me when I got home, ask me about my day. But father would practically make the temperature drop just by walking into a room. At least that's how I felt back then. Father would always tell her to quit spoiling me. He'd say I needed to be more serious...needed to be more like my brother. I think the most I smiled or laughed was when I was with Itachi. But, as time went on, he got too busy with training and missions to be with me. I remember following him around every day in order to try to get him to train me. He'd always poke me in the head and tell me he'd help me later."

It was quiet for a while. It wasn't until Naruto turned to look at Sasuke that he understood why. Tears were silently sliding from the dark eyes. Sasuke didn't bother to hide them. The tears looked silver in the moonlight as they trailed from his eyes to disappear in his hair. Naruto couldn't tear his eyes away from the mesmerizing sight. He had never seen him cry.

"And now he's gone...I killed him. In the end,I found out that he did everything for me. And I repaid him by taking his life. And for what?" His voice began to crack slightly as he went on. "It's ironic...in the end, I was the one who turned out to be the bigger criminal. At least he was following orders. I wasn't forced to do the things I did. If my family...no, if my mother could see me now...I think she'd be ashamed of what kind of person I've become."

Naruto watched with tears in his own eyes. He squeezed his friend's hand. He wasn't sure what to say, but he wanted to help in some way. "I think..." He swallowed and started again, wondering if what he was about to say would do more harm than good. "I think maybe all along, Itachi wanted it to be you. To avenge them. I mean, what must it have been like...to live with that kind of guilt and to have to play the role of hated enemy, to have to make you hate him, even if he was only doing his job. Maybe...it was the only way he could find peace. And in the end, he passed on to you the only thing left that he could to protect you."

Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, the moon highlighting the tracks of tears against his pale face.

"I think your family would understand. And I think they'd be happy that you...survived. None of us are perfect and no one can say that they haven't done something they're not proud of. But, in the end, you destroyed one of Konoha's biggest enemies in Orochimaru. And you've saved people's lives. And together we'll defeat more enemies and save more lives. I think they'd be proud of the person you're becoming."

Naruto squeezed Sasuke's hand again and gave him a small smile before letting go and leaving him behind. Sasuke looked up into the night sky and thought about Naruto's words, about his life, about who he was before...and who he is now. He sighed and sat up with a small chuckle. He thought of his best friend. It wasn't just words anymore. They'd come a long way in the last 2 months they'd been together. It seemed all that time he spent fighting against the bonds he held with the blond was in vain. But it might be exactly what they've both been needing all along. Naruto's mask was now completely gone. And he was discovering more about the real Naruto every day. As regards his own mask, it was breaking and crumbling more and more the longer he stayed in the dobe's presence. The two of them are closer now than they've ever been. Maybe they were meant to stay together to keep each other sane…to save each other.

--

_Edited 02/26/2010_


	10. Release Some Tension

**a/n:** Well, I'm back with another one. Thanks again to all my reviewers. This chapter was actually kind of fun to write. Although I don't think I'm all that good with fight scenes. Consider this filler fun. Things will be hitting the fan pretty soon.

**Disclaimer:** I would love to own Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, etc. Alas, I don't.

**Warning:** A bit of yaoi hinting, but nothing big. Just thought I'd warn you though. Although really it's more about the fact that the two have a relationship that goes beyond friendship and maybe even beyond brotherhood. What that is, they don't even know yet. ;)

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks  
**

**Ch. 9 - Release Some Tension  
**

**

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--**

**Speaking**: "Blah blah"

**Thoughts**: _'Blah blah'_

**--**

Naruto woke up feeling warm. He sighed and snuggled into the pillow, perfectly willing to stay in bed for a bit longer. Except...air kept blowing on his face and it was driving him crazy. His forehead scrunched as he forced his brain to think. He didn't remember opening a window. He tried to move his arm, but found it was held down by something. His nose twitched, almost like a fox. Finally, he forced his eyes open and almost jumped and screamed when he saw a face directly in front of him. As it was, he let out a slight yelp. He forced himself to relax and his mind finally kicked in and remembered that he and Sasuke had agreed, many days ago, to share the lone bed. But he definitely wasn't expecting such a breech of personal space. Fortunately, his companion didn't stir, despite the noise. He slowly tried to extract his arm without success. Then he tried to sit up first, but an arm pulled him closer. _'Great...now what do I do?'_

Considering the teme's arm refused to cooperate at the moment and boredom was starting to set in, he decided to waste time by studying his pale friend's face and attempt to discover what it was that all the girls saw in him. His eyes slowly glided over the other's face, taking in his features. The skin was pale, of course, almost translucent. He looked somewhat angelic in sleep - it was impossible to miss the long slightly curling dark eyelashes. Scattered locks of the same dark shade framed his face. His thin lips were slightly upturned. It was surprising to see the small smile adorning his face. After all, it was the exact opposite of his usual blank look, or worse, the scowl. He had to admit, though, the teme really was handsome. And he envied it...girls never seemed to go for nice guys like him. And everyone thought he was too bright...hair too blond, too loud, too...well...everything. They were all into tall, dark and mysterious for some reason.

Naruto was so caught up in his perusal that he never noticed the pair of eyelids slowly opening...until his eyes met black ones. For a moment neither pair of eyes blinked. They just stared at one another. Neither could seem to tear the gaze away. Their breaths mingled together, their heads moved closer, almost like a magnetic force was pulling them together, until their noses were a hair's breath from touching....

And then sanity set in.

"AHHHHH...What the hell?!?!"

At that point, neither was sure who said the words - maybe both did - but both of them jumped out of bed like an enemy was on top of them. They glared at each other from opposite sides of the room like the situation was the others fault. The same thought was racing through both their heads: _'Did I almost kiss him?'_ Naruto shook his head, as if to clear it, and grabbed a towel.

"Uh...shower...now," he uttered and disappeared into the bathroom.

Sasuke was left staring at the closed door.

* * *

Aya nibbled on a piece of bread while she looked back and forth between the two males. One would think the last thing she needed was more food after eating breakfast at home. Yet, there she was eating another breakfast with her two sensei.

But, back to the matter at hand. Both males were silent, which was very unusual. Well, for Sasuke-sensei, it wasn't. He was always silent. But for Ruka-sensei, who always babbled about anything and everything just to have some noise, it was abnormal. Even weirder was that neither would look the other in the eye. She started tapping her fingers on the table, just to have some noise. She looked one way, then looked the other. Then she sighed loudly, thinking the would get the point. Finally after 10 more minutes of absolute silence, with no end in sight, the young teen could take no more. She stood up and slammed her hands down on the table while glaring at them in a way that would make even an Uchiha proud. Her blond sensei jumped and her dark sensei's eyes suddenly focused in on her.

"I can't take it anymore! What is you guys' problem?"

Sasuke, being an Uchiha, of course, didn't look phased and just stared back at her without a word. Naruto, on the other hand, had been shocked out of his silent stupor.

"N-nothing. Nothing at all. Wow...look at the time! Guess we should get to work, eh Aya?"

Then he jumped up with a grin, suddenly hyperactive, and pulled Aya out the seat and practically dragged her out the back door.

"Ruka-sensei...wait..."

"Come on Aya. Got chakra control exercises to do! New jutsus to master!"

Sasuke stared after the two of them with a slight twitch. Suddenly, he was fuming. He had just seen the dobe's mask slip back into place. And boy was it back with a vengeance! Now that he could tell the difference, he hated the fake Naruto he just saw on display. And hell if he would allow the idiot to continue that facade. He stood up with his hands clenched at his sides and the sharingan came to life. There was only one way to deal with the tension between them. It was the only thing that ever worked for them. He stalked outside and immediately honed in on his prey.

"Dobe..." he growled.

Naruto and Aya looked up. When Naruto saw the sharingan spinning, he gave a slight grin. Sasuke was pissed. And he knew exactly what Sasuke wanted and he would be happy to oblige. In fact, he was itching for it. He started walking toward the raven, calling out instructions to his student as he left. "Aya, work on what I showed you until you master it. Then if you want, you can work on the scroll I left."

"Alright."

Aya watched them jog into the woods until they were out of sight. Finally, she shrugged and turned back to finish her work. "Guys are so weird...."

* * *

Naruto followed Sasuke deeper into the woods. He weaved around a huge tree only for his face to come in contact with a fist.

"OW!" Naruto grabbed his nose as blood gushed from it. "What the hell was that for teme?!"

Sasuke was still glaring at him with a wildly spinning sharingan. His hands were still clenched into fists.

"Dobe, the next time I ever catch you using that godawful mask of yours again I will KICK YOUR ASS!"

Naruto's eyes got wide. Then he got this silly grin on his face, wiped the blood with the back of his hand, and charged at Sasuke.

"TEME!!"

The punch, aimed for the raven's face, never made it. Sasuke grabbed his hand and tossed Naruto to the other side of the clearing. He snorted.

"You gotta do better than that dobe."

Naruto growled and created 5 clones. All of them immediately charged at Sasuke from different directions.

The fight was on.

They exchanged blows at a furious pace. Kicks and punches were thrown, then blocked, only to be repeated again and again until both jumped back to find a new angle. One threw weapons, the other dodged. One disappeared and reappeared behind the other, only to have that one flip away. Naruto was in the middle of dodging a fuuma shuriken when he heard: **"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu."**

Naruto tried to think of something as his head spun back and forth. _'ugh...no water around here for a jutsu...wind will just make it worse...'_ The flames were upon him before he could think of a plan. But as he was swallowed up by fire, he called upon the Kyuubi's power. Red chakra flowed outward from him, creating a barrier between his skin and the heated flames. He sped through the fire while creating a rasengan and appeared outside the flames aiming the jutsu towards Sasuke. Sasuke saw him at the last second and dodged. The round sphere hit a tree and put a hole through it.

"What the hell are you trying to do teme?! Destroy the forest?" Naruto yelled as he pulled his arm out of the tree and turned to look at the trees around them. Most of the trees surrounding the clearing were charred from the fire. Sasuke smirked in response. Naruto glared and then charged again. Sasuke didn't move until the blond's fist was an inch away from impact. And then he bent backwards to avoid it and landed on his hands, then kicked a foot into Naruto's face.

Thus began a fast and furious taijutsu dance.

The fight went on for so long that Aya had actually mastered her lessons and decided to find them and watch from a safe spot. Punches and kicks flew at speeds unimaginable to her 13 year old mind. Jutsus were traded, one after another, until both of them finally keeled over from of them were bleeding from various places. Naruto turned his head toward Sasuke. Sasuke looked over at Naruto. Both gasped for breath. And yet, huge grins adorned both their faces. Aya just shook her head at the absurdity of it all.

Now that the excitement was over, she jumped down from her perch and stood above the two exhausted ninja with her hands on her hips.

"You are both insane."

An hour later, they were back at the house with Aya yelling at them about their stupid manly ways of dealing with things and using violence instead of talking things out like normal people. While she ranted, the two were treating each others' wounds and discussing their spar.

"Jeez teme, you tried to destroy the whole forest with that katon jutsu didn't you?"

"Dobe, you're exaggerating. It wasn't _that_ bad. Besides, it wasn't like you couldn't handle it."

"Yeah, but still...."

"Hn." Sasuke shifted slightly so Naruto could re-wrap his bandage. "You've improved dobe." Naruto snorted.

"You act like that's a shock or something." Sasuke turned his head and smirked.

"It is dead last."

"Shut up teme."

"Make me usuratonkachi."

"Bastard."

"Idiot."

"Asshole."

"Prick."

"..."

"And I win again." Sasuke grinned and went inside.

"TEME!" Naruto growled and followed him.

And Aya stood outside, completely forgotten. She shook her head and sighed. "So that's what it feels like to be ignored."

* * *

_A week later..._

"Hey dobe, you have an extra pack I can borrow?"

"Yeah, hold on I'll bring you one."

Sasuke had been here for almost two and a half months. Except, now he was leaving.

"Here you go teme." Naruto passed him a pack. "Oh, I've got something else too." Naruto passed him a few scrolls. "Place food or clothes in them, add your blood to the small seal on the front and that's that."

Sasuke gave him a nod. "Hn...thanks."

"So, how long will you be gone?" Sasuke had announced a couple of days ago that he needed to leave and check up on some things.

"Maybe a couple of weeks. I doubt it will take longer than that."

Sasuke finished packing the last of his things in scrolls and put them in various places on his person and fastened the pack. He looked up and noticed his friend looking weird.

"What's wrong?"

Naruto looked away. "Nothing really."

Sasuke could tell his friend was worried, but knew he wouldn't show it.

"Dobe." Naruto looked up with a glare.

Sasuke smirked. "That's more like it." He ruffled the blond's spiky hair and then yanked a bit of it.

"Ow, watch the hair teme!"

He laughed a bit and did something completely random and spontaneous for him. He pulled the blond in his arms for a quick hug. Then he pushed him off and turned away, opened the door and walked away without look back. Naruto followed him out the door and stood on the porch and nibbled nervously on his lip as he watched him walk away. Finally before the raven was too far away to hear him, he yelled, "YOU BETTER COME BACK. IF YOU DON'T I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN AGAIN! AND I WON'T BE SO SOFT ON YOU NEXT TIME. YOU HEAR ME TEME?!"

Sasuke, even as far away from the house as he was, heard the loud mouth. He stopped in his tracks for a moment and then he smirked. He raised his hand into the brief wave that he was well known for and walked away.

On the porch, Naruto saw the wave and smiled slightly in relief. He watched until his friend was out of sight. Finally, he sighed and walked into the house that suddenly seemed bare and quiet without his friend.

-

-

_Edited 03/08/2010_

**a/n:** Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu – Grand Fireball Technique

Next up: Konoha update yay!


	11. Letters To The Past I Left Behind

**a/n:** Thanks for your reviews! Wow I can't believe my first story's made it this far. Well, finally you get to find out a bit about what Konoha's been up to since Naruto's been gone! It will be a little different from your normal everyday chapter though. It will be based around Naruto's letters to Tsunade. I guess you can call it a bit of an interlude. Hope you like it.

**Disclaimer:** I didn't own Naruto when I started this fic and I still don't own it now.

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* * *

Hiding Behind Masks  
**

**Ch. 10 - Letters To The Past I Left Behind  
**

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* * *

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**Speaking**: "Blah blah"

**Thoughts**: _'Blah blah'_

**--**

_Dear Tsunade baa-chan_

_I thought I'd at least send you a note to let you know I'm ok. I've been traveling around a lot, seeing people I haven't seen in a while. It's been nice, you know? I haven't found a place to settle down just yet. I want to find somewhere I can just be me - not the "Kyuubi brat" or the "dead last". It really will be nice to just be myself for once and not have to act like an idiot. _

_I'm sure by now everyone knows what happened and I assume you told them about me. I'm afraid to ask how they took it. Tell everyone hello for me though. And tell Iruka and Sakura I'm sorry for not saying goodbye in person. Not like I had a choice anyway. I hope they'll both forgive me. I know Sakura will probably hate me for a while for leaving without her. It isn't fair that she ends up having to suffer with the loss of both her teammates. Tell her I'll make it up to her...someday._

_I guess that's it. I'll let you know when I finally get settled somewhere for a while._

_Uzumaki Naruto_

_- - -  
_

Everyone left of the original Konoha 12 and their sensei, as well as a few additions, had been summoned to the hokage's office. So far Team Gai and Team Kurenai had shown up. Ino and Chouji came in next, pulling along a reluctant looking Shikamaru.

"I don't see why you had to pull me from my cloud watching. This is so troublesome."

"We were summoned you idiot! We have to be here." Ino yelled.

Chouji was, of course, munching on chips, not bothered at all by his teammates arguing. He'd seen it so much over the years he stopped paying attention. Iruka came in, pulling along Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon. Sakura and Sai showed up next. Sakura looked at everyone and noticed that Naruto wasn't among them. "Hey, have any of you seen Naruto? We went to his apartment to get him, but he wasn't there."

Everyone shook their heads in the negative. Another 10 minutes went by and then a poof of smoke announced Kakashi appearance. Sakura looked shocked.

"You're not late?!"

Kakashi almost looked hurt. "Why do you always expect the worst of me Sakura?"

"Because you're always late!" she replied with her eye twitching.

"Kakashi my eternal rival! It is most YOUTHFUL of you to be on time!"

Kakashi turned away from her and looked toward Gai. "Did you say something?"

Before Gai could go on Sakura interrupted. "Where's Naruto?"

Tsunade walked in before Kakashi could answer. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice like this." She sat down and folded her hands on the desk.

"Wait Shishou, Naruto isn't here yet." Sakura piped in.

Tsunade poured a dish of sake and drank it down quickly. She knew she was going to need it. "Actually, that's the reason why I called this meeting."

Everyone looked at her in confusion.

"What I have to say...none of it leaves this room. You all must swear to secrecy."

Now all the ninja's guards were up. Especially Team Kakashi and Iruka.

"What happened to Naruto?" Iruka asked, concern written all over his face. Kakashi was concerned enough to close Icha Icha Paradise. He had a feeling he might know where this was going.

"Naruto asked me to break an S-Class secret to all of you."

Almost everyone's eyes widened. What could the academy dead last be involved in that was considered an S-Class secret? Of course, the most observant of them – Shikamaru – noticed that Team Kakashi, nor any of the other Jounin sensei seemed surprised.

"As you all know, in the academy, everyone is taught the history of Konoha. You all learned about the Fourth Hokage and how he defeated the nine-tailed fox in order to save the village. But most of what the textbooks teach you about that event is a lie."

Now almost everyone, save the adults, looked confused. Shikamaru's brow furrowed as he began to put the pieces together.

"What do you mean Hokage-sama?" Ino voiced what many of them were thinking.

"Has anyone ever heard of a jinchuuriki?" Tsunade looked up at them.

"Power of a human sacrifice." Came from the corner of the room where Neji stood.

Tsunade nodded. "That's right. Gaara, the Kazekage, was one. He held the power of Shukaku, the one tailed raccoon. I'm sure you remember how much damage he did before he was defeated."

Every one of the young ninja nodded.

"Lee, you know from experience how much damage Gaara could do on his own with only a bit of Shukaku's power."

Lee nodded solemnly. He'll never forget how close he had been to no longer being a shinobi. Gai placed his hand on Lee's shoulder.

"Now, if you multiply that power by nine, you get the Kyuubi. Obviously, the Fourth was a very powerful shinobi. But do you really think that one man could possibly defeat a demon that could level a village without using more than a pinch of its power?"

Tsunade looked at each one of the younger shinobi in the room. Lee was wide-eyed, Ten Ten looked somber, Chouji's hand was sitting in the chip bag forgotten, Kiba looked confused, Shino...well...you could never really tell what he was thinking, but Hinata and Ino both looked thoughtful. Neji and Shikamaru already looked like they had figured out the puzzle. Not surprising really. They were both geniuses, after all.

"Today, you will hear the real story of what happened on that sad October night. When the Kyuubi showed up out of nowhere and began his rampage on Konoha, the Fourth Hokage knew he could not defeat the demon. After some time, he came up with a plan. He would seal it into someone. However, there was just one problem. He could not use just anyone. It had to be a newborn baby because a newborn's chakra coils aren't developed yet. Therefore, the baby would be able to adapt to the demonic chakra. There was only one child born that day."

Hinata gasped loudly enough to alert everyone. She knew who's birthday was on October 10th. "Naruto..." Tears pooled in her eyes as she began to think about her old crush and the burden that was put on him. Kiba and Shino squeezed her hands. Every shinobi in the room turned solemn. Even though the adults already knew, they understood how much the young blond had suffered over his lifetime thus far. The females were close to tears. The males were somber. Everyone's respect for their friend rose even more.

"That's why all the adults hated him, isn't it?" Kiba looked at Tsunade with anger in his eyes. "Why all the adults treated him like crap?"

Kurenai was the one who answered. "Sometimes people are ignorant and afraid of what they don't understand."

"But really, we weren't any better." Ino stated softly with her head down in shame. "We all treated him just as badly when we were younger and we didn't even know why. We just felt justified because everyone else treated him that way."

Sakura joined in. "Our parents even told us to stay away from him saying that he was trouble. We, of course, blindly listened to them as any child would."

Neji stared ahead, not really looking at anyone as he spoke of his friend with admiration. "Now I understand what he said to me during the chuunin exams. He told me that I wasn't the only one with a burden to bear. Except, his burden is so much greater than my own."

Two voices chimed in...no need to identify who. "The way the village treats him is unyouthful!"

"W-We s-should all go see him, l-let him know that we're still his friends no matter what." Hinata suggested. The others nodded in agreement.

"Unfortunately, that's not possible." Tsunade interrupted.

Everyone looked puzzled.

"Why not?" Sakura asked.

Tsunade sighed. She hated having to break this to them. "Because...he's gone."

Silence.

"W-What do you mean gone? Is he on a mission?" Sakura asked, her voice laced with fear.

Tsunade rubbed her fingers against her temples. Out of them all, she knew this news would break Sakura's heart. "No Sakura. He's gone. Gone for good. He was banished from Konoha by the council."

"WHAT?!" everyone yelled.

"No..." Sakura shook her head. "No...it's not true. He would never leave Konoha. No matter what they said, he wouldn't."

"Sakura...."

"NO! He wouldn't. He...he wants to be Hokage. He wouldn't leave."

Lee came over and wrapped his arms around her. Kakashi took her free hand and squeezed it in support. The Konohamaru corps was upset and were all being tended to by Iruka, who could hardly hold back his own tears.

"He can't...he wouldn't leave...me..." Tears slowly dripped from her eyes and slid down her cheeks.

Tsunade dismissed everyone quietly. She went up to Sakura after the door closed. "Sakura...I'm sorry." She dreaded this. She knew her student would take it harder than anyone. She was now the only one left of the original Team 7. Tsunade wrapped her arms around the heartbroken girl and just let her cry.

* * *

_Hey old hag. _

_I know I said I'd write when I finally got myself settled somewhere. So here it is. It's really nice here. It's a small civilian village...no ninja in sight...the exact kind of place I wanted. Somewhere I can start over, where no one knows me, or knows about what's inside of me. I hope everything is ok with you. Tell all of my friends hello. If they're still my friends, that is. Tell old man Teuchi and Ayame hi and I miss their ramen._

_Oh and before I go, could you please send me some more medical jutsus? I kind of stumbled my way into being a medic here. They haven't had one in years and well, I ended up getting roped into it. At least you know all your work in teaching me this stuff won't go to waste. Let me know how you are doing._

_Uzumaki Naruto_

_- - -  
_

Tsunade looked up at Teams Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai, Asuma, along with Iruka and Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon. They had all come to her office at her summons. It gave her a migraine just thinking of the last time she had all these people in her office at one time like this. "I called all of you here to give you some news. I got a letter from Naruto." Chaos reigned in her office: "Really?!" "How is he doing?" "Where is he?" "What is he up to?" "THE POWER OF YOUTH PREVAILS!"

She slammed her hands against her desk. "QUIET!!"

Everyone stopped at the sound of the crack and stepped back a few feet, just in case. All of them looked sufficiently sheepish and waited to hear more.

"Now, as I was saying, I got a letter from Naruto. He has settled down somewhere-" She held a hand up to forestall Sakura, whose mouth was already open. "NO, I don't know where. He's doing fine. He wanted to tell everyone hello and that he misses you. He will be corresponding through one of his toads every so often. Whenever he sends them, I will let you know how he is doing."

Everyone looked happy to see that he was doing ok, even if they didn't have much information.

"Now get out of here. I've got things to do."

The former Konoha 12 all decided to meet up at Ichiraku's just to kind of celebrate the knowledge that their friend was alive and well. They even told Teuchi and Ayame about Naruto. He ended up giving them all one bowl of free ramen. All of them reminisced about the hyperactive ball of sunshine that was Naruto.

"You know, it's sure not the same without him around here. It's too quiet." Kiba said. They all agreed.

"Hey guys? I think I have an idea." Sakura started. Everyone looked at Sakura. "I think it would be cool if we all wrote our own letters to him and included them with Tsunade-sama's."

"A-and m-maybe we could send some things to remember us by." Hinata added.

"Yeah, I like that idea." Ino smiled.

"Meh, it's troublesome, but I guess I can write something." Shikamaru lazily said. The others nodded in agreement with them.

"YOSH! WE'LL SHOW NARUTO THE POWER OF YOUTH!"

Ten Ten smacked him upside the head. "Shut up Lee!"

* * *

_Hi Baa-chan,_

_So, I guess I should start with how floored I was when I ended up with a whole pile of letters and stuff. I was only expecting one from you. If I had time, I'd write a letter in response to each one, but yeah, no time. Just tell them all thank you. I'm happy that they still accept me as I am. Tell Konohamaru that I pass the responsibility of becoming Hokage on to him. He will make a good one someday. Thank every one for their gifts too. Not that I could ever forget them all anyway. Tell Neji I still haven't forgotten about my promise to him. One day, I will make it happen, whether I'm in Konoha or not. _

_Hey, since you all are sending me stuff, could you send me some ramen? I've actually had a craving for it lately. Probably because I haven't had any in a year. There's no ramen stand here! How is that possible?  
_

_Naruto_

_- - -  
_

Lee's hands actually trembled. He had never been so nervous in his life.

"What is wrong my youthful student?"

Lee actually jumped when he heard Gai's booming voice. "Gai-sensei. It is nothing really."

Gai saw the velvet box in Lee's hand and was about to declare the youthfulness to the entirety of Konoha if not for Lee's quick hand covering that mouth.

"I'm going to ask her to marry me." Gai nodded his head enthusiastically since his mouth was still covered.

"I'm just nervous, that's all." Gai's eyes turned sympathetic and he nodded a bit.

"I just...I really don't know what she sees in me. I'm not the best looking guy around. And for so long she had a crush on the unyouthful Uchiha, so I always doubted I ever had a chance, even if I didn't act like it." Gai listened and nodded every so often. Lee sighed and smiled dreamily.

"She's so beautiful. She's everything I've always wanted." Gai suddenly had stars in his eyes as he nodded again.

"I love her with all my heart. She's my beautiful flower. And I want her to be happy. I just hope that she loves me as much as I do her." Gai nodded enthusiastically again and gave a thumbs up.

"But then again, we've been together this long. She must love me. And I will do my best to show her the power of my love!" Gai grinned behind the hand and you could see the sparkly background of the genjutsu forming as anime tears poured down his face.

"Well, guess I should go pick her up for dinner. Wish me luck Gai-sensei!" Lee's hand was gone and he disappeared before Gai could say anything youthful about his favorite student.

* * *

_Dear Baa-chan,_

_You wouldn't believe it, but I have a student. Shocking eh? She wants to learn medical ninjutsu so I'm helping her try to access and mold chakra. Her late father was a ninja so she has the ability, just have to take the time to bring it out. _

_Tell Sakura and Lee CONGRATULATIONS! I can't believe Sakura's engaged...to Fuzzy Brows of all people! Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just never saw that coming. I know he'll take good care of her. Lee would never let anything happen to her._

_Also, from what Konahamaru wrote, more congratulations are in order to his whole team for becoming chuunin. As annoying as they might've been sometimes, they were like my little brothers and sister. So I sent a little congrats thing to each of them. _

_Hope to hear from you soon._

_Naruto_

_- - -  
_

Squeals and laughter came from Yuuhi Kurenai's home. Inside a cute little black haired sprite darted between Kiba's legs and kept running through the house, yelling at the top of her little lungs. Hinata looked at him and giggled before running after the hyper child. Kurenai-sensei had a meeting with the Hokage to attend, so her idea of training for the day was having the team babysit. Shino was the calmest of the three. He sent one of his bugs to keep track of the kid and had gone outside to commune with nature. They would be able to communicate if he needed to know where she was. It was peaceful outside until the little girl sped by, followed by Akamaru, Hinata, and with Kiba bringing up the rear. _'So much for peace and quiet.'_ he thought but refused to leave his spot to help. He would let his teammates have the privilege of chasing the child around.

"Come here you little brat!" Kiba yelled. He almost reached her and tried to grab her, but with almost ninja-like reflexes, the three year old was able to get away from his hands. She laughed in delight as she kept running around the yard, not even noticing the blockade in front of her until she bumped into Akamaru and fell on her backside looking up at the huge nin-dog and giggling. She rolled over and stood on her little legs and toddled over to the dog and then turned to point at Kiba with what was almost a glare with those red eyes like her mother. "UP!" she commanded. Kiba snorted and rolled his eyes. But he did as she asked, walking over to pick her up and put her on Akamaru's back. She squealed happily and held on as the dog walked around the yard with the little girl on his back.

Hinata watched with a soft smile. She sat down and pulled off her jacket. She always loved kids and could easily imagine herself with some of her own sometime in the future. Of course, until recently, her image of family life had always seemed to involve a certain blond haired male. But, lately she found herself thinking of someone else. She looked over at Kiba who plopped down next to her with a sigh and a smile.

"She is definitely related to Konohamaru. I mean really... She might look like sensei, but she definitely doesn't act like her." Kiba grumbled.

Hinata giggled. "Tired Kiba?"

Kiba scoffed. "No way! I could run circles around the kid."

He flopped onto his back, put his arms behind his head and relaxed. From his vantage point, he slyly watched his female teammate. She had become so comfortable around her team over the years that she no longer stuttered. He had always thought she was pretty, but she was so timid and shy. But now she had grown up and, although still shy, she no longer lacked the self-confidence. He found her to be beautiful. Without the jacket you could see all the curves she usually hid. Her hair fell down her back like a waterfall and his fingers always itched to touch the inky strands, to run his fingers through them. And he loved the uniqueness of her lavender eyes. He once had a crush on his teammate. But he knew that her heart belonged to Naruto, so he kept it to himself and became her brother-figure. Deep down though, it wasn't what he really wanted.

Akamaru plopped down in front of her, the tired little brat still hanging on the dog's back. Hinata picked up the black haired girl and took her in her arms and rocked her until she fell asleep. Kiba's eyes were on her the entire time. Yeah...about that crush...it wasn't really like that anymore. As he watched, he pictured a family of his own - a Inuzuka child with lavender colored eyes, a beautiful wife with those same eyes rocking their child in her arms. He heard a sound and looked to his left, noting that the woman preoccupying his thoughts was now lying next to him, the child cradled against her chest sleeping soundly. Their eyes met and held. Kiba gulped. This was his chance. He at least had to know if there was a chance for him. His heart pounded in his chest at what he was finally going to do.

"Hinata?"

"Yes Kiba?"

He swallowed nervously. "Would you like to go to dinner with me when sensei gets back?"

Hinata smiled shyly and then giggled. _'Such an adorable giggle,'_ Kiba thought. "Are you asking me out on a date Kiba?"

Kiba grinned and tried not to blush, but failed. "Yeah...yeah, I guess I am."

"Then yes, I would love to go to dinner with you."

* * *

_Dear baa-chan,_

_How have you been? I hope you're keeping Konoha under control. I miss you all very much. It's not the same now that you can't hit me for calling you old anymore. But then I guess it saves me some pain, so it works out. Also, thanks for the jutsus. I haven't taught them to my student yet, but I'm sure I will soon. Right now it's pretty busy around here. You wouldn't believe who showed up at my door a couple of weeks ago. Nope, I'm not telling you. I'll let you figure it out for yourself. We're staying together in my place for now. I don't know what will happen later, but for now, I'm happy. _

_I was happy to hear that Hinata found someone she's happy with. No, I wasn't as dense as everyone thought I was regarding her feelings toward me. But I knew it would be too much trouble for her, as a Hyuuga, to ever have a relationship with her. And I didn't want to hurt her feelings, so I played dense. Besides, as much as I like her, I don't think I'd ever love her like that. It's about time dog-breath finally asked her out though! I had been wondering if he would ever make a move. You'll have to tell me when Sakura and Lee are getting married. I know I won't be able to be there, no matter how much I might wish to, but I'd like to send them something. _

_Naruto_

_- - -  
_

Tsunade put down the latest letter and rubbed her temples again to get rid of the migraine. She knew Naruto too well. And for him to be so happy about a visitor, it had to be that damn Uchiha! "Brat I hope you know what you're doing." She muttered and grabbed another bottle of sake.

-

-

_Edited 03/08/2010_

**a/n:** There, another one down. Let me know what you thought of the way I set up this chapter. Also, if you have any suggestions feel free to voice them. I have a direction I'm going with the story, but it doesn't mean I might not incorporate some good ideas. ;)


	12. Happy Birthday Teme

**a/n:** Wow, I got a lot of really great reviews on the last chapter. Thank you all so much. You rock! Seriously. I was pretty nervous about what people would think of the whole letter thing. So I'm glad everyone liked it. And now on to Chapter 11. Think of this as the somewhat fluffy chapter. Enjoy...there won't be many of these left for a while.

**Disclaimer:** Same as always, I don't own Naruto.

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 11 - Happy Birthday Teme  
**

**

* * *

--**

**Speaking**: "Blah blah"

**Thoughts**: _'Blah blah'_

**--**

Naruto sat on the back porch reading a scroll while, at the same time, monitoring his student. Aya was attempting to master a simple medical jutsu. She was improving in leaps and bounds. Her chakra now was at low chuunin level and climbing, thanks to his constant chakra exercises. He even made her work on chakra control at home. Normally he wouldn't be working on jutsus with her. That was Sasuke's job. However, Sasuke had left a few days ago citing his need to check on Madara and Akatsuki.

He looked up for a moment and saw Aya deep in concentration. _'Better make sure she doesn't overdo it.'_ Her chakra levels were still pretty stable so he went back to attempting to study the scroll. Except, he really couldn't concentrate. It was kind of boring without the teme around - Funny how he had gotten so used to his presence so quickly. The house just seemed so empty without him. He tried to squash down that vulnerable part of him that was afraid Sasuke wouldn't come back. It wasn't exactly an irrational fear, considering he was abandoned by him before. But he refused to let those negative voices in his head get him down. It was a matter of trust. His friends would think he was stupid, but he trusted the teme. He just hoped that Sasuke wouldn't betray that trust.

"Ruka! I think I got it!"

His musings interrupted, Naruto looked up to see Aya jumping up and down excitedly.

"OK, show me."

Her hands glowed green and hovered over the fish and, a few seconds, later it began flopping around on the table. Aya grinned at her accomplishment.

"Great job Aya! I'm proud of you." She hugged him, happy at the praise. "I'm sure Sasuke will be pleased with your progress when he gets back."

Aya sobered up a bit. "I miss him Ruka. How long before he gets back?"

Naruto almost laughed. It was a testament to how much the avenger had changed. In all the time he'd known Sasuke, no one but fangirls would say they actually missed him. What made it funny was that he went out of his way NOT to talk to them, so what could they possibly miss? He pulled her toward the house and gave her an answer while he prepared a quick lunch for the two of them.

"He said he'd be gone about a week or two. I'd lean toward the two week mark myself. But, with all the jutsus and stuff I have for you to work on, I'll keep you so busy that time will fly by. He'll be back before you know it."

Aya only latched on to one part of his sentence. "OOH...more jutsus?"

Naruto laughed. _'One track mind.'_ "You remind me of someone I used to know. He was always excited about learning new stuff. But, yeah. Some new jutsus."

"Really?! AWESOME!" Aya grinned from ear to ear and started dancing around. _'Yep, just like someone I know.'_

* * *

Sasuke sat down at the mouth of a cave to rest yet, at the same time, he looked out for enemies. He was on his way back to Bird Country after finding out the latest on Akatsuki. He had been pretty fortunate so far and hadn't met up with anyone that could identify him. It looked like Akatsuki was busy going after the eight tails. At least they weren't looking for Naruto at the moment, which was good, because they needed all the time they could get to be prepared. He glanced at a long object wrapped in cloth next to him. Yes, they definitely needed more time.

He was concerned about Madara though. There seemed to be no trace of him or his old team anywhere and that worried him. He would've felt better if he knew where his only living relative was hiding or what he was doing. Was he going after the eight tails as well? Or was he looking for him? The last thing he needed was to run into him or any other member of the Akatsuki. And he definitely didn't need any of them finding out Naruto's location. Truthfully, he hoped the organization still thought Naruto was in Konoha.

He found a ration bar in his pack and nibbled on it while he thought about what he discovered. He'd have to inform Naruto when he got back. There were also a few things he previously neglected to share with Naruto about Madara that he probably needed to make known, but he'd think about that when he got home.

Home...

Who'd have thought he'd ever use that word again. The last place he considered home was the Uchiha District before the massacre. That word - and the feelings connected with it - was something he refused to assign to any place from that day forward. And yet, a tiny house in the woods in a civilian village had turned into his home...all because of the dobe.

Or maybe it wasn't the house at all.

Maybe Naruto was his home.

* * *

Naruto was on his way into the village. He left a clone to watch Aya's lessons while he was gone. Sasuke's birthday was only a couple of days away. So he was on a mission - Find a present for the teme. Not that it was an easy task.... Really, what do you get a guy who never wants or shows an interest in anything that isn't a jutsu or a weapon? He thought about getting a weapon. Unfortunately, there wouldn't be much hope of finding a weaponsmith around here. Jewelry? He couldn't see Sasuke wearing much. Although... The gears began turning in his head. He grinned at the new idea he came up with and went to the first jewelry store he saw.

A short gray haired woman was behind the counter reading a book. In fact, that book looked kind of familiar.... Naruto looked more closely at the cover and rolled his eyes as he realized what it was...the yaoi edition of Icha Icha. Then he looked at the woman briefly and his mind, of it's own accord, began to calculate her age. He couldn't help but internally shudder at the thought of someone that old reading porn. But in the end, he couldn't suppress a smile at the thought of his late sensei. _'At least ero-sennin will always live on through those perverted books of his.'_ The woman finally looked up from the book, noticing that she had a customer.

"Good afternoon young man. Looking to find something special for the lady in your life?"

"Uh..." Naruto blushed slightly embarrassed and rubbed the back of his head. "Not exactly. Well, actually, there is no lady."

"Oh come now. A handsome young man like you must have a beautiful girl waiting for you at home."

"Nope, not for me. Actually it's for a friend. For his birthday."

"Ah...Well, take a look around. I'm sure something here will catch your eye. Take your time. Eventually the right thing will call to you. You just have to listen for it."

Naruto smiled and thanked her, though he looked confused at her last statement. She was very nice, almost grandmotherly. It was still amazing to him - the whole concept of going into a shop without being kicked out, glared at, or overcharged. He still hadn't gotten used to it. He browsed through row upon row of jewelry. And while many of the pieces were nice, they all seemed to be too girly for the teme.

"Nothing yet?" The lady asked from her perch at the counter, still not letting go of the book. In his mind he wondered if the woman was somehow related to Kakashi-sensei since he couldn't seem to live without putting the book down either. Naruto shrugged.

"Not really. No offense, but most of this stuff is not really his style."

"Are you saying this stuff is too girly?" she asked, raising a gray eyebrow.

'_Yes…exactly.'_ "No...no...not at all." Naruto cringed and started making exaggerated waving motions with his hands. He didn't want to make the woman mad. The old woman cackled at the blond's actions.

"Don't worry dear, I've been around the business much too long to get my feathers ruffled over something like that. Besides, I like a person who's willing to speak their mind. Now, let's see.... I have another room of jewelry that I don't put out to the regular customers. Most of it's not really their style. But, who knows, you might succeed in finding something for your friend."

She got up slowly and steered him toward a back room behind a curtain. On a single long table he saw more chains, stones, earrings and other pieces of jewelry. The lady left him to his designs. He slowly walked down the length of the table. Still, nothing called to him yet. It wasn't until he got to the end of the table, in the corner, a silver chain caught his eye. Hanging from it was a round red stone interspersed with dark lines that looked almost black running through it. He took a long look at the piece. Then he moved on to the jewelry at the back of the table. However, something kept drawing his eyes back to that piece at the end. Finally, he gave up looking at anything else and came back to the chain and picked it up.

"So, you found something you like eh?" The old woman was suddenly next to him with a smile. He glanced at her, then turned back to the swaying chain that was hanging on his finger. The red stone glowed in the light and he found himself staring at the beautiful piece. She nodded in approval.

"Ah...a good choice. It's a beautiful piece of jewelry. The silver is strengthened with chakra, so it's almost impossible to break. The stone is red jasper. No two stones look exactly alike which, makes it very valuable. It's perfect for anyone you consider important to you."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, red jasper is known as a protection stone. It is meant to protect the wearer from harm. Also, it's said to be good for emotional stress, protection from fear, and it's supposed to balance the emotional energy in the body."

Naruto stared at the stone for the longest time. He didn't say anything. He just thought about the Uchiha. _'It's Perfect.'_ He smiled and turned to the woman. "I'll take it."

"You haven't even asked how much."

"I know. I don't need to. It's perfect, so I'll buy it."

She shook her head bewildered at the young blond, but she took the chain and wrapped it, then gave it to Naruto with a smile.

"Whoever this friend is, he must be very important to you. I hope he likes your gift."

"Yeah, me too." He paid and left with a grin and a wave at the shopkeeper.

She waved back. As soon as he was out the door, a short bark of laughter left her lips. She knew the moment he walked in the door that there was something about the young man. Something special. She wasn't sure what it was, but he was different than. "Crazy kid."

* * *

That night Naruto took out the soon-to-be present and looked at it in the firelight as he lay on the couch. The red hue and the dark lines that swirled around it were almost mesmerizing. _'Just like the sharingan.'_ There had always been something about the doujutsu that, despite it's danger, attracted him. When Itachi used it on him, he became paralyzed by fear. Yet on Sasuke, he didn't want to look away. Those blood red pools dotted with black had him spellbound. It made him want to move closer and stare in the eyes, just so he could see them swirl and change.

He hoped Sasuke was ok, wherever he was. If things went according to plan, he should be home in a day or two. He thought back to the old lady's words about the stone. _'Protection from stress and fear, balances emotional energy. Sounds like exactly what Sasuke needs.' _ He wasn't about to tell him the meaning of the stone though since, knowing him, he'd have a fit about the significance of it all.

He stretched and got up to move to the lone bed, which now seemed much colder without his roommate. Before he turned over, he sighed and mumbled "There must be something wrong with me. I can't believe I've gotten used to the teme in my own bed."

* * *

It was late in the afternoon, a few days later, when Sasuke came home. Takashi and Aya were on the back porch playing games while Naruto was inside, sprawled on the couch sleeping...at least until a loud scream woke him up. He ran outside, grabbing weapons along the way so as to protect the teens. But when he got outside, the sight that greeted him was Sasuke sprawled out on the ground, courtesy of Aya who tackled him to the ground the moment she saw him coming. He didn't bother trying to contain the laughter brought about from the relief of finally seeing him home. He shook his head and wondered how the dark avenger got taken down by a tiny slip of a girl that wasn't even a ninja. Sasuke glared up at Naruto, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

"Don't say a word."

Naruto snickered.

Aya was oblivious, of course. "Sasu-sensei, I'm so glad you're back. I missed you. You should see what I can do now..."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Naruto and mouthed "Sasu-sensei?" The blonde shrugged, but still snickered. Who knew when Aya picked that up. She continued to ramble on and on until Naruto finally put a hand over her mouth, pulled her off of his friend and carried her over his shoulder back toward the house. Takashi followed behind them while laughing at her.

"Come on teme. I was going to whip up something for the three of us, but I guess I'll make it for four." Sasuke just shook his head. But he couldn't stop the small smile from appearing as he got up, dusted himself off and followed the group.

It was good to be home.

* * *

Later that night, after the teens went home, Sasuke was laying on the bed drifting somewhere between asleep and awake. Naruto came into the bedroom and Sasuke immediately knew something was amiss because one arm was behind his back and he couldn't stop himself from smiling. He raised one dark eyebrow in query and Naruto looked down with a slight blush. "Uh...well...ah crap, skip it. I'm no good at this kind of stuff, so here." He thrust a small package into his face.

"What's this?" Sasuke asked, one eyebrow still raised. Naruto shrugged.

"It's nothing really...I mean...well...it's just...Happy Birthday, I guess."

Now, mind you, the last time Sasuke remembered that he even _had_ a birthday was when he was 12 years old and still in Konoha. And that was mostly because of the fangirls who deemed it necessary to remind him every year by leaving so many presents in front of his property that he couldn't open the front door. Or it was their constant screaming of "Happy Birthday Sasuke!" as they followed him around Konoha on that day when he really just wanted to be left alone. Obviously with Orochimaru, birthdays weren't exactly popular. And after leaving with his new team, he never bothered telling them anything about himself, so his birthday wasn't an issue. So maybe it was completely justified that he did something so out of character that he should've been the one called a dobe.

"Huh?"

"Yo teme, it was your birthday two days ago. Don't you remember?"

"..."

"Teme? You okay?"

Sasuke nodded, not trusting himself enough to open his mouth again lest he spout anymore nonsense. Then he suddenly jumped out of bed like it was on fire. "Shower." He announced as he walked, almost ran, to the bathroom and shut the door.

Naruto stared after him, confused at the reaction. "Eh? That was weird."

After a nice long shower, Sasuke had relaxed enough to think properly. At which point, he mentally cursed himself for losing his mind at the mere mention of a happy birthday. He pulled on a pair of sweats, then looked over and saw the present Naruto had given him had been left on his pillow. He could hear Naruto in the kitchen making a racket as he washed dishes. Maybe the dobe thought he was feeling uncomfortable and decided to give him some space. Which was good, because he didn't feel all that comfortable opening the present in front of the expectant blue eyes.

He picked up the small box and examined it. He didn't figure the dobe for being the type to do something small. But then again, he wouldn't be surprised if, upon opening the thing, it blew up in his face literally. He was a prankster after all. Still, it didn't stop him from opening the package. He carefully pulled the tape off the hastily wrapped box until he could open the top. He pulled up the lid slightly...carefully...not putting it past the dobe to do something to it. When nothing happened, he pulled the lid off completely and looked down.

What he saw almost took his breath away.

In a bit of awe, he pulled out the chain. With just a slight touch he could already feel the chakra humming through it. The stone on the end caught his attention immediately. He'd never seen anything like it. The way the red and black bled together was striking. It gave off a power, an aura. He then picked up the note inside the box. A slight smile curved his lips as he read. _"Happy Birthday Teme! I don't know what possessed me to get you, of all people, a gift. You better not call me sentimental either, you bastard. I just figured you probably haven't had a chance to celebrate it in a long time. So you better like it. - Naruto."_

Sasuke placed the note next to the box and proceeded to clasp the chain around his neck. The stone fell and settled just above his heart. Immediately a sense of peace he had not felt in _years_ washed over him. _'It has to be something about this stone.' _He got up and walked out the bedroom and into the kitchen. Naruto was still cleaning, but Sasuke knew he sensed him because he saw the shoulders tense up. Sasuke walked up behind him, wrapped his arms around him, and leaned his head on the blond's shoulder.

"Thank you." he murmured. Then he let go and left the room before he could see the smile that lit up Naruto's face. He was too exhausted to bother with anything more. He crawled into bed and sighed, unconsciously wrapped his hand around the stone, and fell into a deep sleep.

-

-

_Edited 03/03/2010_

**a/n:** Come on...I know you want to say it...say it with me. "AWWWWW". Yes, I know, fluffy. But as I said at the beginning, there won't be much more of it for a while. Hee hee, ever notice that when either boys are nervous they run to the shower? ;) Please feel free to review and tell me what you think. Any ideas for what should happen when our boys finally go back to Konoha?


	13. These Are My Confessions

**a/n:** Welcome back. It's a little shorter, but hope you enjoy this next installment. Thank you every single one of my reviewers. You guys are the greatest inspiration. But darn that manga! I've already got the next 2 or 3 chaps typed up, but now because of the way things just turned, I'm thinking of doing some tinkering with them. Ah well, anyways, enjoy! And please review.

**Disclaimer:** See the other aforementioned chapters. It hasn't changed.

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 12 - These Are My Confessions**

* * *

--

**Speaking**: "Blah blah"

**Thoughts**: _'Blah blah'_

--

"So?"

"So..." Sasuke looked up into Naruto's eyes. "Akatsuki is going after number 8 now."

"Ah."

It didn't take long for Naruto to start pelting Sasuke with questions as soon as he was out the shower. He had already given Aya the day off to rest so the two could discuss Sasuke's self-proclaimed mission in private.

"We don't have much time left. As soon as they capture the eight tails - and they will - they'll be coming after you."

"How long do you think it will take?"

"I don't know. Probably not long."

Naruto noticed something off about Sasuke. Over the last two months, he had learned to read him pretty well and he could tell there was something more. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I...look, Naruto. There's something you need to know that I didn't tell you before. Something about Madara and I."

The blond gestured for him to continue.

"When I was with him, after he told me about Itachi, Danzou, and the rest of the elders, he...he asked me to join him."

Silence.

"I won't lie to you Naruto. I thought about it."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. Sasuke hurriedly tried to explain before the blond's short temper kicked in.

"I was angry, okay? At Konoha. At the elders. They lied to me...and they took everything from me."

Sasuke searched the steely blue eyes.

"...Naruto?"

"What?"

"..."

"..."

"Say something."

"What do you want me to say Sasuke? I..." He sighed and ran a hand over his face. "I don't know what to say."

Naruto raked the same hand through his hair. He tried to view this news rationally...really, he did. He could understand. Right? Right?! His eyes narrowed again. _'No.'_ He couldn't. He stood up suddenly. The chair scraped harshly across the floor. He slammed his palms against the table and glared down at Sasuke, the emotion pouring out of him to the point it was almost tangible. "I mean, I...I...How could you Sasuke?"

"Naruto...I..."

"You would've joined him? THEM?!" He spat the word with hatred. "You not only betrayed Konoha, you were willing to betray me too?"

"I didn't know-"

"Know what? You KNEW I had the Kyuubi inside of me. You KNEW Akatsuki was after me. How could you even think...?" He turned in disgust and started pacing.

Sasuke jumped from his chair with his sharingan blazing the moment Naruto turned away. "Dammit Naruto, don't you dare judge me! You don't understand anything. Those bastards in Konoha destroyed my family!" he yelled.

Naruto spun back around with a scathing glare and pointed at Sasuke. "And your family destroyed mine! You don't see me whining about revenge."

Sasuke's mouth dropped open. "Wh-what did you say?"

"On October 10th, 18 years ago, the nine-tailed demon fox appeared in Konoha. Now, why don't you tell me how the hell did it end up there, Sasuke."

"How should I know-" Naruto stared down at the floor as he interrupted Sasuke once again.

"I used to ask the Kyuubi why he chose to destroy Konoha. He would never tell me. It wasn't until after we left Konoha that I finally bugged him enough for him to tell me the truth." He looked up and locked eyes with his companion. "Do you know what the truth is Sasuke? The truth is the Kyuubi didn't just come to Konoha on his own. He was summoned."

Naruto stopped speaking. The kitchen was shrouded in silence that Sasuke didn't want to break. But he didn't have a choice.

"By whom?" He asked, but he had a feeling that he already knew the answer.

"Uchiha Madara." Naruto's eyes dared Sasuke to deny it. Sasuke had to much pride not to.

"And you believe what the fox told you? He hates Madara." Sasuke raised one dark brow.

"You believe everything Madara told YOU? He hates Konoha." Naruto raised one blonde brow.

Sasuke looked down. "He told me it wasn't him. That it was an unfortunate natural disaster. That everyone blamed him."

Naruto chuckled bitterly. "Right...a natural disaster.... You know Sasuke, there's one thing about the Kyuubi...He has no reason to lie. If he had done it on his own terms, for his own reasons, he would've gloated. Kami knows he loves to gloat about his power. He gloats enough about how he destroyed Konoha. However, he hates being forced to do anything against his will. Just being sealed inside me is an insult. Having to be tied down as a summons is an insult. That's why he didn't want me to know that Madara summmoned him. Just the mention of that man's name is enough to make him go ballistic in his cage. Kyuubi didn't lie about this. It was an ancestor of YOUR clan that destroyed what I could've had. The man who was most likely my father died because of HIM. My mother, whoever she was, died because of HIM. I dealt with the hatred of an entire village because of HIM. I could decide I want to kill you as vengeance."

"It's not the same Naruto."

"Isn't it? You want to place the blame on an entire village. Only three, maybe four people even know what really transpired that night. Yet, you would join a man who wants destroy Konoha, heck, probably the entire world for all we know, all because of the actions of a few? I could blame you and your entire clan for my problems but what sense would it make to blame you for something that happened when you weren't more than a couple of months old? I lived an entire life full of hatred and lies from an entire village, council of elders not withstanding. They banished me from my home, my family, my friends. If anyone has a right to hate Konoha, it's me. But I don't want to. I don't want to be that kind of person."

Sasuke looked away. He was unable to look Naruto in the eye.

Naruto bowed his head so blond locks covered his eyes and clenched his hands into fists. "You would be willing to let me die, just to fulfill your ambition to avenge your clan?"

"But I didn't." Sasuke murmured without lifting his head. "I couldn't."

"Why not?" It was asked so softly, Sasuke almost didn't hear it.

"You." Sasuke swallowed. "No matter how much I may have hated Konoha, I couldn't hate you. And I couldn't let Madara get his hands on you."

He looked up then...the black eyes were filled with determination.

"I wouldn't let him kill you. I still won't."

Silence reigned for a long time. One set of eyes analyzed the other.

Finally, the tension left Naruto's body and he sat back down with a sigh. "Right then, what else do I need to know?"

Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief and sat down as well. At least the dobe had forgiven him, even if he was still mad at him. "While Madara can summon the Kyuubi, he can't control him. That I do know. He admitted it himself. The First Hokage was the one who could control the tailed beasts."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "The point is, Dobe, that he needs someone to control the Kyuubi. His first choice was Itachi, but he didn't have the ability. His only other possibility was me."

"And of course, you can. But why would he need to control the Kyuubi if Akatsuki's whole agenda involves draining the chakra from every jinchuuriki and shoving it in a giant statue?"

"That's the big question isn't it? I don't trust _everything_ Madara told me. Actually, I think Akatsuki was just a cover for him until he got what he wanted." Naruto nodded slowly as he began to understand.

"You."

"Yeah, me. My team and I went with him. But, as soon as I had an opportunity, I left. As far as I know, my team is still with him."

"Will they be a problem?"

Sasuke wondered that himself. He wasn't sure. "Hmm...maybe. We weren't really a "team" in the true sense. I picked the three of them because I knew they could help me. Considering their past allegiances, I doubt they're all that loyal to me. Suigetsu, he's from mist. He likes fighting and has the goal of collecting all the legendary swords of the Seven Swordsmen. I think he'll pretty much go with whomever can lead him to his goal. Karin," Sasuke gave an internal shudder, "she's like another Sakura. But she has the ability to read chakra. As for loyalty? She was one of Orochimaru's subordinates and was in charge of one of his bases, if that gives you any indication. Juugo is probably the one I would consider the most loyal of the three of them. However, he's also the biggest liability. He's mentally unstable. Orochimaru used his enzymes to create the curse seal. He's very quiet and mild and doesn't like to kill, but when he's mad, he goes into a rage that can't be stopped. It was through my Sharingan that I could keep him calm. I'm sure that Madara his figured that out by now. And I'm sure he'd exploit the ability just to keep him under his thumb because he is the most powerful of the three of them." There was a pause as Naruto digested the news.

"So now what?"

"One month."

"Huh?"

"One month and we leave for Konoha. But we need to get stronger before we go." Naruto nodded in agreement. "But this time, we do it together."

Naruto's smile could've rivaled the sun at his friend's words.

"Yeah...together."

* * *

Aya came early the next morning looking much more serious than normal. In fact they both got concerned when she didn't say anything besides a greeting to either male. She's always been a chatterbox so it was an immediate sign that something was wrong.

"Aya? Are you ok?" Naruto asked.

"I...I don't know."

Being the more empathetic one, Naruto pulled her down onto the porch and wrapped an arm around her. "Aya, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Um...My mother told me about my father."

"And the problem is?" Sasuke asked as he sat on the other side of her.

"I don't know what to do now. I think..." Aya paused to think for a moment before continuing. "I think I want to become a ninja."

Sasuke and Naruto exchanged glances.

Aya didn't notice the exchange and continued. "My father, he was a great ninja. He protected his village with his life. He fought to protect my mother and I and died because of it. I want to be a ninja like him. So I can protect my friends and family. I want my father to be proud of me." She waited for something...anything.

A silent conversation went on between Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto finally turned back to his charge. "Aya, I think your father would already be proud of you. If I was your father, I would be proud to have you as a daughter."

She looked at Naruto her eyes wide. "Really?" Naruto nodded his assent.

"But, Aya..." Naruto hated to break her heart, but he had no choice. "...as much as we'd like to, we can't train you. Not right now. We're leaving soon."

She looked down and Naruto's heart dropped. "Oh."

Sasuke watched the two sitting there looking like someone died and rolled his eyes. "It's not forever, for Kami's sake.

The two glared at the dark shinobi.

Sasuke figured it was up to him to be the voice of reason. "Look Aya, if we've been willing to give you medical training for this long, what makes you think we wouldn't go as far as ninja training? We have to leave soon because of a mission. You see, right now it really wouldn't be safe for us - or your village - to stay here much longer."

"But why?"

"Because there are some very powerful people after us." Naruto answered. "If they knew we were here, they'd have no problem with wiping out the entire village just to get to us. I'll be damned if I let anything happen to anyone in this place because of me."

"Once we've completed our mission and we get everything settled, we'll come back." Sasuke added. Aya smiled slightly.

"That's right. We'll come back for you. It's a promise of a lifetime!" Naruto grinned. At least until he remembered the last time he said those words. He lost the smile and sobered quickly, glancing at Sasuke before putting on a fake smile. "I...I'll be right back. I left something...in the house...yeah..."

Sasuke watched him turn and walk away. He wasn't really sure what happened. One moment the dobe was smiling and the next he became depressed. "Aya why don't you go start on this scroll. I'll be out to help in a minute."

Aya nodded, figuring Sasuke would be able to cheer Ruka up. Oh...speaking of...

"Sasu-sensei?" He stopped without turning. "Ruka's not his real name is it?" He turned his head slightly and looked back at her.

"What makes you say that?"

"My mom said she could tell by the way he reacted when she asked his name when he first came here. But she said it didn't really matter...that he had his reasons for not giving his real one."

Sasuke sighed. He wondered for a moment if he should keep it to himself. But he decided that, since it was Aya, it would be ok.

"No, that's not his name."

He climbed the porch and was about to pull open the door.

"His real name is Naruto."

* * *

Sasuke found Naruto on the floor in front of the couch looking at a very familiar picture. He sat on the couch and leaned forward. The photo was crumpled and the edges were a bit frayed but he recognized it all the same. "You still have that old thing?" Naruto nodded.

A pale hand slowly rose and found its way into a mass of spiky hair. It still amazed him that such spikes could be so soft. Fingers slowly raked through the blond locks, unconsciously trying to soothe his friend. "Naruto, what's wrong?"

Naruto didn't feign ignorance. He closed his eyes and let Sasuke's fingers calm him.

"I made a promise once.... It was a promise of a lifetime."

Sasuke listened and nodded. He had a feeling it probably involved him.

"I never really got to keep it."

Sasuke smirked, unseen by Naruto. "Actually, you're wrong. You'll get to keep it after all."

Naruto swiveled to look at the Uchiha.

"Considering we are going back to Konoha and all."

While Naruto was taking that piece of information in, he grabbed the photo and examined it, lightly tracing his finger over the images. There was Sakura in the middle all fangirl happy to be next to him. Naruto and he were arguing again. He was giving his usual glare. Naruto was gritting his teeth and glaring back. Their sensei, Kakashi, was holding them back. He chuckled.

"We really were idiots back then, weren't we?"

Naruto smirked as he replied, "You mean you actually admit it?"

"Well, it's not like going to a snake hell bent on taking over my body was one of my wiser choices." Sasuke deadpanned. He let go of the blond spikes and folded his arms across his chest. "And it's been proven that going after Itachi wasn't exactly the greatest plan either."

Naruto chuckled and got up only to sit next to his friend on the couch.

"Yeah we were pretty stupid eh? Sakura wouldn't leave you alone..."

"You wouldn't leave Sakura alone." Sasuke grinned as an elbow dug into his side.

"Quiet teme."

"You wouldn't leave me alone..."

"Oh just shut up."

"Make me usuratonkachi."

Naruto growled and tackled Sasuke, but this time neither of their hits had any power or anger behind it. Instead, they were laughing. They punched and wrestled until Sasuke finally straddled Naruto, pinned him with his legs, and held his wrists locked above his head. Neither even noticed Aya come in until footsteps were right next to them. They're heads turned to look at Aya, who had an eyebrow raised in query. Not even Sasuke could fight a slight blush at the implications of the position he and the now brightly blushing Naruto were in.

"Uh...what are you two doing?"

-

-

_Edited 03/11/2010_

**a/n:** Ha! I love how Aya always shows up at the weirdest times. LOL poor Sasuke and Naruto. There will be some Konoha in the next chapter. Our boys are going home soon!


	14. Tension, Training and a New Mission

**a/n: **Thanks for the wonderful reviews for chapter 12. And a milestone, I finally made it over 100 reviews yay!! It's about to get interesting everyone…finally.

**Disclaimer:** The usual one (see other chapters)

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 13 - Tension, Training and a New Mission  
**

* * *

--

**Speaking:** "Blah blah"

**Thoughts:** _'Blah blah'_

--

Naruto yawned and stretched, then scratched his chest. He rubbed his eyes before he looked at the clock, surprised to find he woke up so early. Only Sasuke woke up at this ungodly hour.

He got out of bed and padded toward the bathroom, cursing as he stubbed a toe on the way. He came out in a pair of sweats and grabbed a t-shirt, figuring he might as well train since he was up. Maybe he'd even get in a spar with the teme. When he got outside on the porch, he stopped in his tracks. At that moment, he could only think one thing: _'Beautiful.'_

Sasuke's back was to Naruto and he was in the middle of doing katas with his kusanagi...shirtless. He watched the play of muscles in the pale back as arms and legs moved together in a slow and steady rhythm. He leaned back against the railing and watched intently, and wondered why his mouth was starting to go dry. Bit by bit, Sasuke's speed increased and he moved in wider circles. _'Almost like a dance.'_ The raven's eyes were closed, his concentration was unflappable. And Naruto couldn't stop watching. His lips parted and his heart sped up, beating in time with the rhythm of the dance. So caught up was the blond, he didn't notice when Sasuke finished. Those jet black eyes opened and immediately found his own.

Naruto couldn't stop the gasp that left his lips at being caught staring. Nor could he stop the blush. He tried to look away, but he couldn't.

The dark raven began to slowly walk toward Naruto like he was prey. Without missing a beat, he slid the sword back into its place while never taking his eyes off the male in front of him. His feet stopped right in front of Naruto and he slowly raised his arm. Sasuke could see the emotions swimming in the cerulean eyes and he was pretty sure the same emotions would be reflected in his own if he allowed it. He refused to put a name to it...for it would change…well, everything really. Neither of them, he knew, we're ready...yet. Naruto, emotionally, was still healing. And himself? No matter how much he may change, no matter what Naruto said, Sasuke was still an avenger. He had promised to avenge his family, and he still had two more people to kill in order to fulfill that promise. He could not, would not, allow anything or anyone to get in the way of that - even if it was his best friend. Fortunately, Madara and Danzou were considered enemies of Naruto as well. However, once he had fulfilled his self-proclaimed duty, then maybe, just maybe...

Sasuke smirked...

-FLICK!-

"What the hell was that for teme?!" Naruto's hand went to rub his stinging forehead.

"Hn...Dobe." Sasuke turned and walked off. "You know, you should practice with me every morning. You'd learn something...maybe even gain something called finesse?"

"Oh please...I don't need finesse. I've got it in spades." Naruto left the porch and followed Sasuke, only to trip over a tree root and fall on his face. "Ow."

Sasuke almost snickered, but stopped himself.

"Shut up teme." Naruto growled from the ground. He got up and dusted himself off. "Ok, fine. If you must know, I'd look like an idiot."

"Well that wouldn't be too much of a stretch. You look like that all the time." Sasuke grinned and looked behind him. Then he started running.

"TEME! GET BACK HERE!" Naruto ran after him, yelling about getting him back.

* * *

The next day found Naruto standing next to Sasuke outside, both of them in sweats and t-shirts. Sasuke was trying very hard not to rub his temples. He wanted to give in to the urge to scream, really. Naruto might have his own form of genius, but trying to talk to him about katas was giving him a headache. His patience was wearing thin. "You know what? We're getting nowhere this way. I think I have a better idea. Just follow what I do. Eventually you'll get the hang of it."

Naruto looked a bit unsure. Deep down he really did think he would end up looking like an idiot next to the "perfect" Uchiha. He knew graceful was a word that really just wasn't in his vocabulary. "A-Alright."

Sasuke began. Naruto watched his movements and followed about a second behind. He got about a third of the way through the first kata before making a mistake. "Dammit!"

He was about to stop when Sasuke's voice stopped him.

"Don't stop dobe." The raven didn't even turn to look at him, he just kept moving. "Just keep going. Don't worry about the mistakes. Eventually you'll learn to get through it without making any."

Naruto sighed, but kept going, albeit sloppily, through the motions with Sasuke until they finally finished. Sasuke turned and looked at his friend. "So, how do you feel?"

Naruto raised a brow in almost Uchiha fashion at the query – seems he's been around him too long. "Seriously? Awkward. It feels weird to me."

Sasuke gave Naruto a small smile of encouragement. "It'll get better with practice."

Naruto grinned, happy that Sasuke didn't make fun of him like he thought he would.

"Of course, even with practice, you'll never do it as well as I can."

Naruto's grin turned into a grimace. _'Should've known he couldn't resist a shot.'_ "You're such a jerk teme."

This time, Sasuke gave him that hated smirk. "I know."

Naruto was about to reply until an unearthly growl came from his stomach. A dark brow raised in question. A blush appeared on his face and he put a hand over the offending stomach. "Uh...heh...guess I'm a bit hungry." He turned around after that and went into the house. Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. It was so Naruto-ish.

"Dobe."

* * *

_Two weeks later_

Sasuke stood slightly behind Naruto as they started their synchronized katas. He noticed the blond was much smoother now than he was at the start. Still not perfect, of course, but the improvement was there. Chalk one up to Naruto's determination and his use of shadow clones. What Naruto didn't know was that Sasuke had an ulterior motive for goading him into waking up earlier and training with him every day. It was sitting in the closet in their room waiting for the day Sasuke deemed him ready.

They're time in Bird Country was growing short. He'd been receiving messages from his contacts. From every single one of them he heard the same thing - the eight tails had been caught. Only the Kyuubi was left. So now they would have to deal with Madara and and all of the Akatsuki searching for them. They needed to be ready to leave for Konoha soon. And the last thing they needed was to run into Madara or Pein on the way back.

It didn't take long for them to get used to each others' styles again. It was almost like they hadn't been apart for years. Sasuke was still the one with the finesse, while Naruto was brute force. However, there was a difference. Before, Naruto would attack without thought. Now he held back and analyzed before attacking. (He really wasn't sure if the "thoughtless Naruto" was part of the mask or not.) He had also learned to control his emotions. And that is something he knew hadn't been a part of the mask. Naruto fought with emotion, it was a part of him and nothing would change that. But he no longer let it overrule logic.

However, everything could not be won by brute force. Sometimes subtlety was needed. And that's what he would aim to teach him before they left.

Of course, he hated to admit it, but Naruto had figured out his weaknesses as well, and he took great pleasure in exploiting them. While Sasuke could easily mask his emotions, they tended to come out if anything regarding his family was mentioned. And that caused him to act rashly. He also showed Sasuke that since his days with Orochimaru, he had began relying too much on big and powerful jutsus and his sharingan, completely disregarding those so called academy level jutsus that could save ones life.

He hadn't really thought too much about it before, but he had become a victim of his own cursed bloodline. The lust for power and the sharingan lulled him into a false sense of security, making him believe he was infallible and indestructable. But, through their constant sparring, he was beginning to understand how those basic jutsus like kawarimi, clones, henges, can be just as effective as an A-rank jutsu.

He guessed they both still had much to learn.

One thing they definitely had in their favor was that between the two of them, they had mastered 4 out of 5 elements. He being fire and lightning. Naruto, wind and water. By means of his sharingan, he'd been able to copy water jutsus easily enough. Naruto, because of Kyuubi, had also been able to work with fire. However, neither of them were all that good at earth jutsus. But he's sure, with them working together, their abilities will come in handy one day.

They're early morning ritual ended. Sasuke looked over at Naruto and grinned. "You've improved Dobe."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You know, you're the only one I know that can give a complement and an insult all in one sentence." The raven smirked.

"It's a gift, what can I say?" He shrugged. "Well, since you've gotten the hang of the katas, I think it's time to move on to the next step."

"Next step? What next step?"

"I'll show you." He disappeared from Naruto's sight and then reappeared with a long wrapped object. "Here."

The blond looked warily at the package before taking it in his hands. "What is it?"

Now it was Sasuke's turn to roll his eyes. "You'd find out if you open it."

Naruto slowly unwrapped the fabric until it revealed the most beautiful sword he had ever seen.

"It-it's beautiful." He breathed as he held it up to the early morning sunlight. The sun reflected off of the sword and showed off its runes and etchings. He shook his head. "Sasuke...I can't..."

"Consider it an early birthday present."

The look on Sasuke's face brooked no argument. Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat and looked up at his friend. "I...this is the best present I've ever gotten. Thank you."

"Yeah yeah, don't get sappy. We'll start doing katas with it tomorrow."

Naruto nodded while he kept examining the piece in awe.

"Hopefully you won't cut your own head off doing them."

Naruto glared, then smirked. "I could always lop your head off instead." He replied sweetly.

* * *

Kakashi was standing in the Hokage's office while she and her assistant argued over paperwork, sake, and who knows what else. He sighed and itched to pull out his book. But he knew that the moment his fingers came within an inch of it, the ire of both females would immediately turn to him. And he couldn't risk losing his only signed copy of this edition of Icha Icha, especially now that he could never get another one signed again.

So he waited.

Patience at some point must be rewarded. It finally happened 10 minutes later when Kotetsu came in with a message. _'Finally!'_

Tsunade began reading. When she finished, her fist slammed down on the desk, making the piles of paperwork topple. Shizune sorrowfully watched the previously neat and organized piles fall all over the desk and the floor. Tsunade was about to yell when she noticed the copy ninja was standing right in front of her. She deflated just a bit. "Good, you're here."

'_About time you noticed.'_ He thought.

"SHIZUNE!" she yelled, forgetting that the other woman was right next to her. Said woman jumped at the yell.

"Yes Tsunade-sama?"

The older woman looked confused for a moment. "Oh...you're still here? Anyhow, I am not to be disturbed at all for any reason...period."

"Yes Tsunade-sama." She quickly left the room, closed the door behind her and locked it. Tsunade returned her hazel gaze to the ninja in front of her.

"I have a mission for Team Kakashi."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"I need you to find Naruto."

His eyes widened slightly. "You know what you are asking me?"

"Of course I do!" Tsunade glared. But then her eyes softened. "Read this." She passed the message to him. His eyes roamed over the page quickly. Then he looked up, eyes grim.

"So it begins."

She nodded. "He's the last one. And I will do everything in my power to make sure he doesn't end up in their hands. Obviously, no one must know what the three of you are doing." Kakashi nodded. He knew if the council got wind of this, there was no way he'd get out of this situation intact.

"I understand."

"Do not tell Sakura or Sai anything until you are clear of Fire Country. I don't want anything about this getting out to anyone. As much as I love Sakura, she would somehow blab it to Ino and once that happened, it would be all over Konoha. Sai is still a Root member under Danzou. So I can't trust him completely. Who knows what Danzou might try to get Sai to do if he knew. Unfortunately, finding him will be difficult. Even though he sends me letters, I really have no idea where he is. All I know is that he's not in a ninja village."

"I may have a way around that problem. If you give me your last letter from him, once we're out of Fire Country, I will have one of my dogs take a whiff of it. It's a stretch, but just maybe it will lead us in the right direction, at least. What should we do once we find him?"

"That you will have to figure out on your own. You obviously can't come here with him or go to Suna because of the alliance. Anywhere else is fair game, as long as you keep him safe." Tsunade figured it was better the trio didn't know about a certain missing nin that was, most likely, staying with him.

"That's assuming he'll let me take him anywhere. You know how stubborn he can be."

"Do whatever you have to Kakashi. As long as he's away from Akatsuki, I don't care."

"I will gather up my team and leave in an hour."

"Good. Dismissed."

Kakashi disappeared in a shower of leaves.

* * *

Sakura and Lee were walking hand in hand through the woods behind one of the training grounds. Even the most casual observer could easily see the two were in love. Lee practically had hearts in his eyes and Sakura smiled and laughed lightly at whatever he said. A cloud of smoke suddenly appeared in front of them and stopped their lazy progress. When the smoke dissipated, Kakashi casually waved a hand. His prized book was held in the other. "Yo!"

"Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing here?" Sakura asked in surprise. She still called him sensei by force of habit, even though they were no longer technically student and teacher.

He smiled behind his mask. "Sorry to interrupt your stroll. We have a mission."

"Now?!"

He nodded with an eye smile. "Meet me at the gates in an hour." And he disappeared as quickly as he came.

"Sorry Lee. I guess I have to go."

"Don't worry my beautiful cherry blossom. May your mission prove to be swift and successful so you can return to me and I can express the power of my love to you!" Lee put on his good guy smile with his thumb up.

Sakura giggled. His lines were so cheesy sometimes, but she was so happy with him that she allowed it. "I love you Lee. I'll be back soon." She kissed him lightly and disappeared transporting herself home to pack.

On the other side of Konoha, Sai was in his apartment painting. From the rough outlines, it looked to be a sketch of Ino, but he was still working on it. He was about to dip his brush in paint when he was interrupted by a knock. He looked out of his peephole to see an unruly silver head and opened his door.

"Yo!"

Sai nodded and waited to hear what the team leader needed. No one, except Ino, came to visit him without a reason.

"We have a mission. It will probably be a pretty long one. Meet me at the gates in an hour." Kakashi knew Sai wasn't one for small talk, so he left it at that and left to take care of his own packing.

Sai shrugged and closed the door and put away his project and brushes for another day.

All three ended up meeting at the gates at the same time. Sakura wanted to say something about Kakashi being on time, but refrained. For some reason, she wasn't sure exactly why, she knew something big was happening. This wasn't a normal mission. There was no briefing by the Hokage, which was unusual. Even now, standing in front of Kakashi with Sai, they still had received no information.

Kakashi nodded at his two teammates. "Let's go. I'll fill you in on the way."

The three of them took to the trees and swiftly left Konoha behind.

-

-

_Edited 03/11/2010_

**a/n:** So it's finally begun. Akatsuki's after Naruto, Team Kakashi's off to find him, and Naruto and Sasuke are preparing to leave. What's the odds that at least one of these groups will meet up? Please review!


	15. Leaving for the Place I Left Behind

**a/n:** Wow, I seem to be moving my chapters out at a pretty rapid clip right now. Don't get too spoiled though. My job's liable to turn around and make me crazy and leave me no time and inspiration to write. But for now, you get frequent updates. So yay! Anyways, thanks all of for your reviews! Oh, speaking of, I was informed by a reviewer of another of my stories that I wasn't set up to receive anonymous reviews. So if you're one of those anonymous readers, I apologize, and it's set up correctly now. :) Now, on with the show!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Naruto.

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 14 - Leaving for the Place I Left Behind  
**

* * *

--

**Speaking:** "Blah blah"

**Thoughts:** _'Blah blah'_

--

The month flew by. In the meantime, Naruto had become quite the swordsman. He and Sasuke sparred every day since he received it. After much examination, he gave it the name Seishinryoku. Since his chakra went into the blade, as well as the fact that only his strength of mind and heart got him through the last couple of years, he thought the name would be appropriate. He even had time to make up some new techniques using his chakra and the blade.

Finally, the day that was both dreaded and anticipated, came. It was early morning and the sun had not yet risen completely. Takashi, Aya, and her mother – who came with them because she refused to have the young teens walk alone in the dark to see the two males off – were sitting on the couch. Takashi took things in stride, but Aya's sadness was easy to see.

Sasuke had already finished packing. Naruto was doing the last of his. The walls, previously filled with Sai's artwork, were now bare. He had taken no chances. Not wanting anyone to figure out who had been in the house, he had taken everything, except the furniture and dishes, and put them into sealed scrolls and packed them in his bag.

Aya was trying to hold back tears as she saw the two young men, who had changed her life so much, all packed up and ready to go. Naruto kneeled in front of her and gave her a big hug, willing to ignore the wetness that was seeping into his shirt. When she calmed a little, he stood to his full height and then held his hand out to her.

"This is for you." She looked through watery eyes at the item he put in her hand. It was Naruto's crumpled photo of Team 7. "I've had that picture with me, through good times and bad, since I was 12. I never leave it anywhere. I want you to keep it safe for me. I will be coming back for it."

He grinned.

She smiled.

"Now you have a guarantee that we'll come back." Sasuke added.

Aya came forward and wrapped her arms around both of them. "Thank you. Thank you for everything." she whispered. Then she stepped back and waited while Takashi said his goodbyes. Her mother went next and gave them a hug and a couple of bento boxes, citing the need for something nutritious and delicious for at least one leg of their journey.

Both thanked her and all of them began to file out of the house. Except Naruto. He took one last look around the place that had become his first real _home_. He would miss this place that had accepted him as he was - no questions asked. He had so many good memories of this house, especially over the last few months. He would cherish them forever. He closed his eyes and sighed. He made a promise to his student, but would he really ever make it back here? Or was it going to be another one of those moments of bravado...another of those promises made in the heat of the moment that he wouldn't be able to keep?

Unbeknownst to him, Sasuke was leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed, watching Naruto look around the now empty home. He could tell from the set of the blond's shoulders what he was thinking about. He silently walked up behind Naruto and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Usuratonkachi, you think too much." he chided.

Naruto turned his head to the side and looked at him from the corner of his eye.

"We'll be back." Sasuke smiled slightly as he continued. "Consider it my promise to you."

Naruto smiled in thanks. Sasuke grinned at Naruto. "Come on. We should get going." He ruffled the blond hair and gave him a push.

"Hey!" Naruto glared. Sasuke smirked and turned away, walking toward the door.

"Let's go dobe before I decide to leave you behind for being so slow."

"Who are you calling slow teme?" Sasuke chuckled and left him behind.

"Stupid teme." His smile belied the growl in his voice. He took one last look before following his friend out on the porch. Both were given one last hug by everyone. Sasuke still tensed up a bit, but allowed the touches.

Naruto turned to Sasuke. "Ready?"

"Hn."

"Guess that's a yes."

Sasuke turned with a wave and started walking away.

"Hey teme, wait up." Naruto was given one last hug from the group and then he ran to catch up with the dark haired nin.

* * *

"How long do you think it will take us to get to Fire Country from here?"

Sasuke and Naruto were far away from the little village and were now racing through the river valley, going towards the mountains they could see ahead of them.

"About a week or so, considering we'll have to stay out of sight once we get back into ninja country."

"The only way we'll be able to stay mostly out of sight is to travel at night."

"That's the plan."

A grumble came from Naruto. "Well there goes my beauty sleep."

"We'll sleep during the day."

"Oh sure...Because everyone can just sleep so easily during the day."

"Not like we have much choice dobe."

"Yeah yeah, I know teme. Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it."

* * *

It was close to dusk as Team Kakashi continued their speedy trek through the forest. They were getting close to the border of Fire Country. Kakashi signaled the group to stop. At the clearing, they set up camp and the three of them pulled out ration bars to replenish themselves.

There was still a bit of light left so he pulled out his book. Really though, he wasn't reading it. Most people in Konoha thought he did nothing but read porn all day. But that wasn't the case. In fact, shockingly enough, most of the time he wasn't reading at all. More often than not, he was observing his surroundings. The book was a good way to think or observe without anyone noticing. And right now he was thinking.

There were many questions going through his head. How was he going to explain this mission to his team? How would they find Naruto? How could they keep Akatsuki away from him if or when they did find him? He was surprised Sakura hadn't questioned him yet. He was sure she would be pelting him with questions by now. She was way too smart to assume that this was a normal mission. He glanced over the edge of his book and watched Sakura, who seemed to be thinking just as much as he was – probably trying to figure out what was going on. Sai though, was his usual quiet self, as he spent his time sketching. Looking back at the pink-haired medic, he saw a look of determination cross her face and knew that she was ready to begin her interrogation. With a soft sigh, he prepared himself.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

He looked up like he had been reading his book. "Yes Sakura?"

"What's going on? This isn't normal." Sai looked up at the question. He was curious as well.

He gave her a knowing smile. "I knew you'd figure out that this wasn't exactly a normal situation. I apologize for keeping you both in the dark all this time. Unfortunately, it will have to be that way for just a while longer. You see, I won't be able to say anything about it until we're out of fire country. Hokage's orders." He shrugged and gave her an apologetic smile, if his squinting eye could be called a smile.

"Oh..."

Kakashi watched her face crinkle up in thought. She would be trying to figure it out on her own the whole rest of the way through Fire Country, he was sure of it. Sai shrugged, content with being told when the time came, and went back to drawing.

The next morning found the group speeding through the trees again. It only took a couple of hours to reach the borders and cross them. A few miles outside of Fire Country, Kakashi stopped the team in a clearing. He handed each of them a piece of paper containing a seal and explained the hand seals to them and had them place it against a tree. All of them did so at the same time and the seal burned into the wood. Sakura turned back to the masked ninja.

"What did that do?"

"It put a silencing barrier around this area so that we can talk without prying ears." Kakashi responded. She and Sai nodded and came closer to their team leader.

"Well? What's going on? And what's with the secrecy?" Sakura asked impatiently.

"Our mission is to find Naruto."

Sakura's eyes went wider than he'd ever seen. Sai actually had a slight smile.

"But why? I thought he was banished. We can't be bringing him back."

"No, we're not. And this is a personal mission from the Hokage. No one knows, and cannot know about this or we're risking, not only his life, but our own."

"What do you mean?"

Sai answered before Kakashi could. "If the council finds out that we're aiding someone that has been banished, they would consider us traitors and have us eliminated."

Kakashi waved away the threat. "Maa...it won't happen though, because no one knows what kind of mission we're on. And I'm sure Tsunade-sama has already put a dummy mission into the file so that no one will suspect anything."

"But why are we trying to find him? From his letters it seems like he's doing just fine."

"Akatsuki."

Kakashi didn't need to say any more. A grim look replaced Sakura's original look of confusion. Sai looked over at Kakashi. "All the beasts have been found now except the Kyuubi. Am I correct?"

He nodded. "The eight tails was caught just recently. So now it comes down to Naruto. We don't know if they will send another team of two or if it will be all of Akatsuki."

"Oh, Naruto..." Sakura looked down at the grass, saddened for her friend. A hand landed on her shoulder and squeezed slightly. She looked up to see Kakashi smile at her with a glint in his one eye.

"Don't worry Sakura. We will find him before they do. Ah, yes...that reminds me." He flashed through hand signs, ending with slamming his palm against the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu." A brown pug appeared.

"Yo." He says holding up a paw.

"Pakkun." Kakashi kneeled in front of the dog with a slight smile behind his mask. "I need you to smell this."

He pulled out Naruto's last letter and let the pug take a few sniffs.

"This is Naruto's scent."

"Yes, but can you smell anything else?"

"Faintly. I smell birds. A mixture of different birds that aren't from any of the surrounding countries. And trees."

Kakashi's one eye grew serious. "Pakkun, are you sure?"

"Yes, that's what I smell."

The silver haired nin stood up again and leaned against a tree thinking. He let loose a chuckle. If Pakkun's nose was right, Naruto was much smarter than anyone had ever given him credit for. It was one of the few places that had no ninja village. Most ninja would never think of looking for him there. Maybe even Akatsuki would be hard pressed to find him.

"Kakashi?"

He looked up at the voice. He was so busy thinking about Naruto that he had forgotten the other two. "Sorry...just thinking."

"What's so funny?"

"Your teammate is smarter than we ever thought." Sakura looked confused, but this time he didn't elaborate. He was too busy thinking of a plan. Right now, they were standing on the edge of River Country. Getting to Bird Country would be no easy task. One country stood in the way. Rain. It was the only direct route. If they went that direction, they'd have to skirt their way around Amegakure, which was very much NOT an ally of Konoha. Although direct, it certainly wasn't a good idea if they wanted to remain undetected.

Of course, there was the easier route of going through Wind Country, but it would take much longer. And time, it seemed, was not on their side. There was also the possibility of running into an Akatsuki member while going through River Country. He wasn't so naïve as to think that because their base was destroyed, they wouldn't still scope out the place every once in a while.

'_So, that leaves Grass or Waterfall.'_

Both were allies of Konoha, so going through would be easy enough. However, that leaves one very BIG problem. _'Iwa.'_ With his history there, he and his team would be killed on sight if anyone saw him near there.

_'So, Earth or Rain...'_

He was starting to wonder if he'd be better off going through Grass and then taking his chances going through the northern edge of Rain Country. It would probably be a better option than trying to sneak his way through Earth Country. _'How the hell did Naruto even get into Bird Country?'_ The blond just had to make things difficult.

"Kakashi-sensei, would you quit thinking and tell us what's going on?" Sakura growled.

He sighed and rubbed his covered face before looking at his teammates. "We need to get to Bird Country. That is where Naruto may be. The problem is getting there." He showed them a map of the ninja countries. "I'd rather not risk us going through Rain Country. However, it's the shortest route to Bird Country. Going through Wind Country would take too long and going through Earth Country is not an option. If we go through Grass or Waterfall, which are both allies, we'd still end up having to go through Earth."

"So no matter what, the only option we really have is Wind or Rain." Sakura concluded.

Kakashi nodded.

"What would you suggest?" Sai asked.

"Truthfully, as much as I hate to say it, we'd be better off going through the desert. It would take longer, but I don't think we can risk going through Rain Country by ourselves. The problem is, I was already directed by the Hokage to avoid Suna. So we'll have to stay along the borders of Wind Country."

"Well then, we probably should get going eh? The sooner we get started, the sooner we'll get to our destination." Sakura suggested with a smile.

Kakashi smiled back. He turned to his nin-dog. "Well Pakkun, how'd you like to go for a run?"

And off the three ninja and one dog went, running through the landscape towards their new destination.

Tori no Kuni.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke's thoughts, unknowingly, mirrored that of Team Kakashi, as they were having the same dilemma. They were in a cave. Sasuke used a small oil lantern to look at a map of the ninja villages. Getting back to Fire Country without being noticed would not be easy.

"So?..."

"Hn."

"A little more details please?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's lame attempt at wit. "I'm not sure which way we should go."

Naruto really _really_ wanted to rub in the fact that Sasuke actually wasn't sure about something, but he bit his tongue. Now was not the time. "What's so difficult?"

"Here, I'll show you." He brought the map closer to the lantern so both of them could see it. "Fire Country is here obviously." He pointed to the spot furthest from where they were. "Between here and there are all of these countries." He moved his finger in a kind of S-curve. "Here in lies the problem. Rain Country," He pointed to the place closest to Bird Country, "is a definite not."

"Why?"

"Pein is the leader there."

Naruto scrunched up his face in confusion. "Who is Pein?"

"He holds the position as leader of Akatsuki by means of my dear relative. He's also leader of Amegakure." Naruto nodded his head in understanding. For now, Sasuke decided to leave out the other details about him. "There's no way we can step foot into Rain. He's somehow connected to the land. He'd immediately know that you were there."

"What about here?" Naruto pointed to a big mass of land above Rain Country. "Earth country? Well, it's not recommended, but we may have no choice unless you want to go through Wind Country."

"Um...that's probably not the best idea. Even though Gaara wouldn't let Konoha know anything, Suna and Konoha switch out ninjas these days. Any one of the Konoha ninja in Suna could see us and report it."

"Yeah, but I'm sure I don't have to tell you why going through Earth Country would not be the best idea."

No, he didn't. Naruto understood exactly why. "Yeah, I don't think my blond hair and blue eyes would be exactly a welcome addition there. I guess I could always set up the permanent henge now, but it would put us behind a day or two. I'd much rather do it closer to Konoha." Naruto closed his eyes for a moment in thought before opening them again. "We don't have much choice do we? It'll have to be Wind Country."

Sasuke nodded. "Well go during the night. And we should stick to the borders. Less chance of being noticed that way."

"Agreed. We should probably sleep then, so we can get an early start as soon as it gets dark."

Sasuke nodded and pulled out a sleeping bag and tried to get comfortable in it. On the opposite side of the cave, Naruto was trying to do the same. Both tried to sleep, but found it impossible. After half an hour of tossing and turning, Naruto sat up with a grumble and got out of his sleeping bag, then pulled it across the ground until it was right next to Sasuke. Sasuke opened one eye and glared. Naruto refused to be deterred though. He needed sleep!

"Quit glaring at me teme. I can't sleep and neither can you. At least this way we can try to get comfortable."

He climbed back into his sleeping bag and maneuvered himself until he was back to back with the Uchiha and combining body heat. He sighed and smiled as he felt the solid back against him....the same solid back he slept against back at home. The rhythmic breathing of his best friend slowly made him drowsy. He yawned and closed his eyes. "Night teme."

A minute, maybe two, went by. And right before his hazy mind succumbed to dream land, he heard the mumbled words, almost a whisper. "Good night...dobe."

-

-

_Edited 03/12/2010_

**a/n:** So, two are leaving Bird Country, three (plus a dog) are going toward it. Looks like they're all on a collision course! I hope you didn't find this one too boring. It's more of a set up chapter than anything. It's going to be a very crazy ride from here on for a bit. Look for a new chapter soon...it's already written, just being proofread by my little perfectionist self. Please review. I love to read them. :)

Seishinryoku – spiritual strength

Tori no Kuni – Bird Country

Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Summoning jutsu


	16. Kakashi's Decision

**a/n: **Thanks for all of your reviews! You all are the best. Also, **narachan** and **inlovewhitu** thanks for your review. I'm glad you've been enjoying it and finally now have a chance to let me know.

**WARNING:** Spoilers from manga chapters 419 and 420. You have been warned. And of course, I'm taking my liberties with it. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** The usual one (see other chapters)

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 15 - Kakashi's Decision  
**

* * *

--

**Speaking:** "Blah blah"

**Thoughts:** _'Blah blah'_

--

Naruto was awakened by a poke in his back.

"Mm?"

"Up dobe," came a deep voice.

He mumbled something that, to Sasuke, sounded like 'don't wanna, go away bastard.'

Sasuke was never one to be patient with Naruto. He rolled his eyes and pinched him on the arm....Hard.

"OW! OW!! OW!! What the hell teme?!" Naruto jumped out of the makeshift bed rubbing his now very red forearm.

"Quit complaining, Kyuubi will heal that up in seconds. And I tried to wake you up the normal way, but you wouldn't budge."

"Bastard!"

"Dobe."

Naruto growled and went to the mouth of the cave, still pouting and rubbing his arm, and looked out at the early morning landscape. He could see Wind Country in the distance. "So what do we do until we leave?"

"What we always do this early in the morning. Train." Sasuke passed the blond by. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"To the top."

Naruto glared at his friend's back. Sasuke never was much for being informative. He sent chakra to his feet and followed him up the rock face. Upon reaching the top, he found that there was just enough room for him and Sasuke to take a fighting stance...and not much else.

"Teme, what in the world are you thinking?"

Sasuke smirked. "We fight and try not to fall off."

"This is stupid."

"So you say. It's training."

"It's a long way down if we fall."

"Then don't fall."

Naruto looked incredulous. "You really have lost it, you know."

This time Sasuke grinned but didn't acknowledge the statement. "We'll start slow." He threw a light punch at Naruto, which he dodged. Naruto retaliated with a punch of his own, which Sasuke blocked. And so began a slow dance that got a little faster and faster as they became more comfortable. Neither moved their feet. It all involved swaying, bending, blocking and, of course, balance. Soon they began adding swinging kicks to the mix and then immediately going back into their stance to keep from falling as they kept fighting. After a while, they were moving at such a fluid pace that if someone observed the two, all they would see is a blur of legs and arms.

An hour later, when they finally stopped, both were breathing hard and wearing a fine sheen of sweat from the morning sun and the workout. Both had, for the most part - with just a few slips - successfully kept their feet glued to the rock without falling off. They grinned at one another while they caught their breaths. It had been a long time coming, but in the last few months, despite their penchant for insults, they had learned to respect one another's skills. And through their hard work, they finally became a team. They learned to move together as one. They were dark and light...yin and yang. Kakashi would've probably been proud.

Naruto looked at his opposite with a smirk. "Race ya back down?" Sasuke grinned and nodded. "Alright...Ready...Set...

Sasuke started running down.

"Hey teme! No fair, you cheated!" Naruto ran off the opposite side attempting to catch up.

* * *

Team Kakashi had gotten an early start and was speeding their way through River Country. Kakashi took point, as usual. Sakura was in the middle. And Sai brought up the rear. At the rate they were moving, they would reach Wind Country in a couple of days if they stopped only at night.

There was a sense of urgency among them, now that they knew the mission parameters. Naruto meant so much to the three of them. To Sakura, he was the annoying little brother, her rock of security when she was feeling down. To Sai, he was the one who taught him to show emotion, who taught him the importance of having bonds. To Kakashi, he was more than just his student or his teammate. He kept it quiet, of course, because he had no choice. But he knew exactly who Naruto was. He spent quite a long time in denial, refusing to see the truth of Naruto's features. It wasn't until after the boy's trip with Jiraiya that he truly accepted what, deep down in his heart, he had known all along. Once he had finally stopped living in denial and being selfish, he made an oath to himself that he would protect Minato-sensei's son. His sensei would probably come back from wherever the shinigami took him just to kill him if Naruto died because of him. Even if he died, he would make sure Naruto was safe. There was no way any of them would allow the evil known as Akatsuki to take him away and suck him dry without a fight.

It was close to midday when they stopped in a clearing. Kakashi hadn't planned to stop so soon, but he saw what looked to be one of Konoha's messenger birds flying towards them. He stopped the team to see if it was for him. As he looked up, he saw the bird nosedive toward the clearing and come to a stop on Kakashi's outstretched hand. He took the note and started reading. His one eye widened and he crumbled the note in his hand.

"Kakashi-sensei...what is it?"

Kakashi looked at his former student and the Root ninja. Sakura had grown so much over the years, from a loud mouthed fangirl to a strong kunoichi and medic nin. She had always been booksmart, but her abilities finally caught up to her brain after she grew past her childish attraction to the traitorous Uchiha. She had truly become a mini-Tsunade and he was proud of her. Sai was an oddity who had slowly moved beyond the boundaries of Danzou's Root and had learned to show emotions – even if he was still a bit strange. Still...considering he was conditioned that way since birth, the fact that he learned to show any emotion at all was an accomplishment. Of course, as a member of Root, he was a very gifted ninja and he knew that if he left the two behind, they would be able to do what was needed.

Sakura watched her old sensei while he was thinking. She had never seen him look so serious in all the time they had been on the same team, including when she was a genin. What could possibly be in the note that caused him to look that way?

Kakashi knew he had a decision to make. The letter didn't exactly specify all of them to come back. Of course, normally a team would never split, but these were extenuating circumstances. He, at least, would be going back. He had to, not just because of orders, but because it was Konoha. He glanced once more at his younger teammates. Finding Naruto was a priority. Especially now. If one of the Akatsuki members was already in Konoha, what were the chances others were out looking for him as well? If Akatsuki got a hold of him, it was game over. Naruto would surely die. And there was no way they could defeat the organization with all of that demonic power at their disposal. But if Pein was attacking Konoha, they needed all the elite ninja they could get. Kakashi made his decision.

"Sakura...Sai, I have been summoned back to Konoha. I need you both to continue without me."

"What? Kakashi-sensei, why would you be summoned back when we just left a couple of days ago?" Sakura glared at him confused. "What aren't you telling us?"

He flicked his eyes over to Sai. Sai nodded in understanding. He didn't know what was going on, but he would abide by Kakashi's decision. Sakura was going to be pissed, but he would be able to handle it.

"I'm sorry Sakura, I cannot tell you. But I must go back."

"But, what about Naruto? We can't just go on alone."

"Of course you can. You're a chuunin. Sai is practically an ANBU. You have both learned to work together as a team. You will do just fine." Kakashi gave them what he hoped was a confident smile behind the mask. But even Sakura could see it didn't reach his eye like it normally did. "What I have to do is important. However, finding Naruto is the most important. Your mission is to find him. Hopefully, he's still where we thought. It's probably the best place for the three of you to stay there. It would most likely be one of the last places Akatsuki would look. Whatever you do, stay together and make sure Akatsuki can't find you."

"But Kakashi..."

Kakashi was no longer listening. He summoned Pakkun again. "Pakkun, I need you to go with them. I have to return to Konoha. Your mission is to find Naruto and stay with him."

Pakkun nodded in his own way to show he understood.

"Kakashi...no...wait!" Sakura yelled.

"Ja." Kakashi disappeared.

Before she could move, Sai grabbed her arm.

"Let go Sai! We have to go after him."

"No Sakura. We have been given our mission. Kakashi has a mission of his own. We must find Naruto. That is more important."

Sakura deflated. She knew he was right. But she was afraid. There were too many unanswered questions right now and she wasn't comfortable at all. Something was very wrong. Kakashi would never abandon a mission as important as this without serious cause. Whatever it was that called him back, she was afraid it would be something that would affect all of Konoha in a way they'd never seen.

"Come on Sakura. Let's go." Sakura sighed and turned back to Sai, knowing there was nothing left she could do but continue the mission that had been given to them.

"Yes. Let's go."

Both began to run, moving onward toward Wind Country.

* * *

Naruto sighed for what had to be the hundredth time. "Teme, I'm bored."

Sasuke glared at him with an expression that said 'What do you want me to do about it?'

Naruto shrugged. "Entertain me?"

"Che...dobe."

"Was that a yes or a no?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What do you think?"

The blond sighed and grumbled about uncooperative bastards and fidgeted. He saw some smaller rocks and started flicking them with his fingers one by one, not caring which direction they went.

Sasuke growled when one of the errant pebbles impacted close to his head. "Quit it dobe!"

"But teme, I'm so booooored."

"Well, too bad. Deal with it."

"I can't. Look, ask me something...anything. Give me something to talk about."

"No." Sasuke was perfectly happy with the silence.

"Pleeeeease Sasuke?" Said person flicked his eyes toward Naruto and twitched slightly when he saw the pleading look on his face. God, why did he have to do that? He sighed and gave in knowing he would never hear the end of it if he didn't.

"Fine..." Sasuke tried to think of a question. "Uh...what's your favorite color since I know it's not orange?"

"Blue, like my eyes. Another one..." He replied, almost bouncing in his seat.

"Do you still talk to Kyuubi?"

"How did you go from a simple question like that to this one?"

"Just answer the question or you can go back to being bored."

"Alright alright. I can, but I hardly ever do it anymore. Kyuubi didn't really want to talk to me before. He definitely doesn't want to now."

"Why not?"

"He's dying." Sasuke's mouth opened slightly.

"How is that...possible?"

"I'm slowly merging with the Kyuubi. That means I'm slowly draining him of the chakra that keeps him alive. The Fourth made the seal that way."

"I see..." Naruto chuckled.

"No you don't. You just don't want to admit it." Sasuke glared but didn't refute the statement. "Look teme, it's like this. There are stand alone seals. There are also such things as seals layered on top of seals. The seal the Fourth placed on me isn't just one seal. It's multiple layers. Each layer does something different."

Sasuke nodded in understanding.

"One suppresses the Kyuubi's massive amount of chakra, another keeps him locked up. Then there was one to tie his chakra network to mine. One more was made for me to gain a trickle amount of his chakra as time went by. The problem, though, is that seal cracked and eventually broke completely. It started way back when I summoned his power for the first time in Wave when we were fighting against Haku. It got worse when Orochimaru put that other seal on me in the Forest of Death. Instead of getting a trickle like I was meant to, I got more of a constant flow - like water from a drinking fountain. Unfortunately, not even Ero-sennin could completely fix it. He didn't completely understand the seal himself. He said it was one-of-a-kind. I guess the Yondaime's plan was for me to slowly, over my lifetime, drain all the Kyuubi's chakra, causing the fox to fade out of existence. But if the symbols I examined were correct, it was supposed to happen over a span of 40 years or more, if I lived that long. But the broken seal caused me to take on more of the Kyuubi's chakra at a faster rate. So now here I am with about four or five tails worth of power that is now my chakra. Not his."

Sasuke stared close to awe. "That much?"

Naruto shrugged. "I never use it all. In fact I have another seal that I made here." He points to the spot between his shoulder blades. "It contains everything beyond about a tail's worth of chakra."

"And you couldn't figure out how to fix it?" Naruto smirked smugly.

"Actually, I did. But why bother fixing it now? My body became accustomed to the constant flow and over time, I strengthened my mind enough to the point that Kyuubi couldn't influence me like he did in the past. So there's no point."

There was a time when Sasuke would have been severely jealous over Naruto having that amount of power at his disposal. Now though, he was content and confident in his own power and abilities. Sasuke, curious, lifted the back of Naruto's shirt - trying to ignore the feeling he got as he stared at the tanned muscular back - and focused on the seal. It was much smaller in size than the other seal he knew Naruto had on his stomach, but very intricately laid out. He traced it with his finger, feeling Naruto's slight shiver from the touch, but he was thinking too intently to notice. "How powerful are you really?" He said it softly, almost thinking it to himself, but Naruto heard him.

"Truthfully, I don't know. I've never used all of my power." He replied just as softly.

The Uchiha sat back and thought about things. At the Valley of the End, he had fought the dobe with just one tail. For a very long time he refused to admit it, but if not for the curse seal and Naruto purposely avoiding anything vital, he probably would've died that day. He'd heard about the day Orochimaru fought a mindless Naruto with four tails. From what he heard through Kabuto, in that state Naruto pretty much destroyed the entire countryside. That was three years ago. Naruto's own chakra reserves were huge then. He could hardly imagine the massive amount of reserves now. To think...all that extra power converted and assimilated as Naruto's own, along with his natural ability and intelligence that he'd hidden.... What does one do with that kind of power? How does one _contain _that amount of power? No wonder he seals it. No wonder Akatsuki wants it. Wait a minute...

"But that means if it's your chakra and not the Kyuubi's..."

Naruto gave him a grin to let him know he had come to the right conclusion.

"Then Akatsuki, even if they capture me, won't have much chakra to drain. If, by some chance in hell, they happened to capture me right now, they'd only get about four tails worth of chakra. And that's if they can break the last seal the Fourth placed on me. It was designed to keep anyone from taking out the Kyuubi by force. The Fourth took every precaution. Even I don't understand that part of the seal completely."

Sasuke couldn't believe it. Suddenly, he was laughing hysterically at the absurdity and irony of it all. Akatsuki had already lost their chance at the Kyuubi and they didn't even know it.

* * *

Night had finally fallen upon the mountain area. Naruto and Sasuke stood just outside the cave and looked out at the inky blackness. Above them, the moon shone down on their serious faces. Not far in the distance was the desert, their immediate destination. Calling them both toward Wind Country, the wind blew towards them, tossing their hair in random directions. Sasuke turned his pale face toward the tanned one. "Ready Dobe?"

"Yep."

"Alright. I'll take point, you slightly behind and to the right." Naruto nodded. Sasuke jumped off the cliff, knowing Naruto would be right behind him. They jumped their way down the mountains, getting closer and closer to the chilly desert. There would be no talking during this trip. Silence was imperative, especially once they were in Wind Country. One word spoken could possibly ruin their cover.

A few hours later, they were running through sand. It was strange not being able to hear your feet at all. There was just a very soft crunching sound as the sand left footprints - the only evidence of their passing.

But as quickly as they showed up, the wind blew the imprints away.

* * *

Kakashi was running as fast as he could. Even at night, he couldn't afford to stop. He had to make it back in time. Clenching his hands into fists, he put more chakra into his steps, moving with speed that was almost unheard of. He had seen too many of his friends die and he couldn't deal with much more of it. He knew when he got closer, he would be able to use shunshin to appear in Konoha. Until then, he needed to move as fast as he could. He felt the soldier pill in his pocket. He had to save it. Once he got to Konoha, he would need the chakra to fight.

Pein would be a very difficult opponent. Shikamaru and his team were still trying to understand what exactly Jiraiya was trying to tell them. Whatever it was, it had to be vital. This Pein was an Akatsuki member, so he was obviously strong. But to be able to defeat Jiraiya, a sannin – to kill him so easily, he was on another level. Kakashi wasn't sure he could win. But he had to try.

'_Sensei, I won't allow him to take your son. I'll die before I let that happen.' _

* * *

One of the clones of Pein grabbed onto a random ninja's head. The ninja gasped in pain, eyes going wide, unable to move. He was unable to stop the saliva leaking from his mouth and dripping to the pavement. He could feel the person in his head, mind raping him, but was unable to stop it. He tried to speak, but it came out as jibberish. The pain was unbearable.

"Looks like you don't know anything about the nine-tailed beast."

Suddenly the ninja felt like he was being ripped apart. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't. In an instant there was no more pain.

The clone had ripped out his soul, leaving him to slump to the ground dead.

In another part of Konoha, Iruka ran through a destroyed section of the village checking for survivors or the culprit. He saw a ninja lying in the street and ran towards him. "Hey, are you alright?"

The other ninja grimaced in pain as Iruka tried to check him over. Suddenly, Iruka heard a sound and saw a shadow in front of him. He looked behind him and gasped upon seeing the black cloak with red clouds. The tall form stared down at Iruka with no expression.

"Where is the nine-tailed beast's host?"

Iruka just stared.

"Spit it out. If you don't, I'll kill you."

-

-

_Edited 03/12/2010_

**a/n:** OOH...so our boys are in wind country, Team Kakashi separates and Kakashi's on his way to Konoha where Pein is causing mass destruction. Also, don't worry, I didn't write that part about Naruto and the seal to make him some kind of super powered god-like Naruto. It's bad enough Kishi keeps giving Sasuke power without him hardly having to life a finger or blink. I've always figured that there had to be more than just the village on his mind when the Fourth sealed the Kyuubi into Naruto. There had to be some kind of advantage, even if it was something that would happen over a long period of time. Plus it would just be a massive hoot for Akatsuki to find out they got screwed haha. Also, because of the direction my story is going, I doubt if I'll have Naruto go with the toads and get all sage powered up. So, hope that makes sense...just my interpretation anyway. Anyways, I think I'm goin to like writing action scenes. Please let me know what you thought of this one.


	17. Fighting Everywhere

**a/n: **Thanks for the awesome reviews. I'll warn you now, I'm writing my first ever fight scenes. Don't know how good they'll be. Hope they aren't too bad. Please be gentle… :) Anyways, enjoy!

**WARNING:** **SPOILERS FOR ANY OF THE LATEST MANGA CHAPTERS.** I sincerely hope you've been keeping up with it.

**Disclaimer:** The usual ones (see other chapters)

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks  
**

**Ch. 16 - Fighting Everywhere  
**

* * *

--

**Speaking:** "Blah blah"

**Thoughts:** _'Blah blah'_

--

_"Where is the nine tailed beast?"_

_Iruka just stared._

_"Spit it out. If you don't I'll kill you."_

_

* * *

_Kakashi could see plumes of smoke rising from the village as he got closer. That wasn't a good sign. He thought of the villagers and hoped they'd have the chance to evacuate. He thought of his fellow ninjas who were most likely fighting hard. He was almost there...close enough to use shunshin no jutsu. He stopped next to a tree, panting hard from running so far without stopping. Taking out his only soldier pill, he looked at it for a moment before popping it into his mouth and biting down. He slowly felt the chakra replenishing itself. When he was back to full power he prepared to enter the village. At that moment, he heard an explosion in the direction of the village. He saw another plume of dark smoke rise into the air. It was time. He disappeared with a poof.

--

It was daylight, but Naruto and Sasuke were still running. If things had gone according to plan, they'd have already been in some sort of shelter sleeping. But there were a few complications. They would've been fine if they hadn't come close to a ninja outpost. Because of the possibility of detection they made a detour. Now they were deeper in the desert and farther away from the border. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to take a break in the middle of the desert. So here they were, still running, hoping to get near the borders soon – and away from the sweltering heat of the desert.

--

Sakura and Sai were just getting started with the next leg of their journey. They were halfway through River Country now. According to Sai's calculations, if they continued at their current pace, they would reach the desert in another day. Running on four legs next to him was Pakkun who hadn't disappeared yet. With Naruto's scent memorized, he continued to track their way toward Bird Country.

Sakura didn't state it aloud, but she was still worried about Kakashi. She wished she had an idea of what was going on. Even if it was horribly bad news, which she was sure it had to be, it was better than being completely in the dark.

Sai looked back, for a moment, at the pink haired nin. He knew she was worried. But he really had no experience in how to make a person feel better. He hadn't gotten that far in the book yet. He understood enough to know, though, that this was a good time to keep his mouth shut, lest he say the wrong thing.

* * *

Iruka still stared at the orange haired man above him. He recognized those black cloaks with red clouds. _'So that's it. He's from Akatsuki...'_

Pein calmly stared down at the chuunin. "Tell me." It was stated calmly, but Iruka could hear the threat behind it. He thought of his favorite student. The young man who had become almost like a son to him. Maybe it was fortunate that he didn't know where Naruto was. Either way, though, he would never tell this man.

"I won't tell you anything." He replied resolutely.

Pein glared down, showing the rare doujutsu, the rinnegan. "I see." Without another word, he raised his arm holding a blade, preparing to kill the uncooperative ninja. He swiftly thrust down toward Iruka's head.

Iruka wanted to shut his eyes, to cower away, but he refused to die that way. He watched the weapon come closer and prepared to die...

...only for it to be stopped by a gloved hand.

Pein looked over at the one who had dared to interrupt him. Iruka stared up in shock.

Kakashi stood between the two, his hand still on the blade, glaring with his sharingan eye. As he stared at the man, he slowly began to piece together the Akatsuki member's plan in his head. "So, everything else was just a distraction so you could search without being noticed..."

Iruka stood up, relieved at the sudden interference. "Kakashi!"

The copycat ninja didn't even turn to acknowledge him. Still staring at Pein, he directed Iruka. "Take that injured man and get out of here. Leave this to me."

"Right." Iruka kneeled, taking the other ninja's arm and pulling it around his shoulders, and lifted the almost dead weight until he was leaning on him. Then he looked at the man who had most likely just saved his life. "Good luck Kakashi." He leaped away, going toward the hospital, leaving the silver-haired ninja behind to deal with the Akatsuki alone.

Suddenly, a leg swung out toward Kakashi, who ducked out of the way. He immediately slammed his palms on the ground and yelled out **"Doton Doryuheki!!" **A huge wall rumbled to life behind them with four dog's heads poking out, making it look like the hounds of hell were guarding it.

Before Kakashi could maneuver out of the way, Pein stabbed him in the shoulder with his blade. He groaned in pain but he continued on, forming a Raikiri and lunging toward Pein's body.

With the rinnegan active, it seemed as if Kakashi was moving in slow motion. Pein leaned slightly to the side, completely avoiding the strike.

Kakashi's eye widened slightly when his hand slammed into the barrier wall. _'What was that!?'_ he thought to himself. He grabbed the blade and pulled it out of his shoulder, then stepped back to regroup. Before he even had a moment to think, Pein was speaking again.

"Hatake Kakashi, the copy ninja...It's an honor to meet you." Pein still hadn't moved from his position against the wall. "Where is the nine-tailed beast?"

Kakashi stared at him, ready to dodge at a moment's notice. Did this man really think he would answer that? "That's a stupid question." He replied while readying another Raikiri. Pein sees it coming and, without moving one inch, blows Kakashi away into the air, destroying the wall behind him in the process. Kakashi yelled as he was being thrown through the air, his hand still sparking with lightning.

* * *

A huge explosion was heard and felt throughout all of Konoha. Shikamaru, still holed up in a room trying to break the code Jiraiya sent, felt the ground tremble beneath him and looked at his partner. "What was that?" They ran to the window and looked out to see smoke rising from a large section of the village.

Ino and Chouji were walking down the street when they heard and felt the explosion. "What was that?!" Ino asked her teammate. When she saw the scene behind her, she gasped and ran off down the street.

Team Kurenai were all together when they heard it and they turned, staring wide eyed at the scene.

In Torture and Interrogation, Ibiki was watching as Yamanaka Inoichi tried to breach the mind of one of Pein's henchmen. He had been unsuccessful before, held back by a powerful genjutsu that protected the man's mind. Sweat trickled down Inoichi's face and his eyes were closed, deep in concentration. Suddenly, he broke through. "Found it!"

He could see into the man's mind with it's labyrinth of synapses. Ibiki continued to observe, eyes going wider now, hoping Inoichi would find what they were looking for. The loud sound of a door slamming open interrupted them.

"Dad! The village!" Ino yelled as she ran into the room.

In the Hokage Tower Tsunade watched, from her window, the chaotic scene that was laid out before her. Her eyes were serious and her mouth was set in a grim line. "So, he's finally here..." She turned her head to the two men standing before her. "Send out an emergency warning."

She knew she had taken a risk by sending Kakashi's team out to find Naruto when she had already received intel confirming that Akatsuki was on it's way to Konoha. She had hoped it would be a pair of them. Maybe even three. She hadn't expected such a large and powerful group. Hopefully, they had gotten the new message she sent. She knew it would take time for them to return - valuable time that they didn't have. She needed every ninja she could get right now, even at the expense of leaving Naruto vulnerable to capture. Despite her personal feelings on the matter, the village had to come first. She hoped her brat was holed up somewhere hard to find. _'Oh Naruto...please be safe. Wherever you are...'_

_

* * *

_"Finally!" Naruto yelled. He breathed hard, exhausted from the run. He collapsed, with an exaggerated moan, onto the green grass in a clearing not far from the border they just left behind. He didn't want to move anymore for hours. Sasuke dropped down next to him, just as exhausted. They had run for almost a full 24 hours, unable to find anywhere to stop because of the miles upon miles of desert sand. It was getting close to dark out now. Sasuke didn't even bother holding back an undignified groan, his legs ached from the constant strain. All he wanted to do was sleep and find a hot springs somewhere.

"Teme?" Naruto turned his head. Even that seemed like a difficult task.

"Hmm?" Sasuke's eyes were closed but he was listening.

"We are never doing that again."

Sasuke wanted to chuckle. But he was too tired to do it. Instead he settled for his usual response. "Hn." Before they knew it, both were fast asleep in the positions they had fallen into.

* * *

Sakura stretched herself awake, blinking up at the light from the rising sun. Sai was already awake, having been on the final watch of the night. He gave her that signature smile and tossed her a ration bar before she was really ready for it, hitting her smack on the forehead. "Good morning Sakura."

She glared at Sai. Mornings were never her thing and sleeping on a hard ground, only to dream of every possible disaster that could occur with the little information she had in her head about Naruto and Konoha, was not helping. The bar bouncing off her forehead was just about her last straw. "Sai..." she growled with a twitch in her left eye.

The sound of a kunai whizzing through the air stopped her before she could rant at her teammate and she dived out of the way. She stared at the weapon that had embedded itself in a tree just ahead of her. It was embedded right where her head had been. Her eyes went wide and she jumped up, her weapons at the ready, Sai going back to back with her. One by one, shadows came out from the treeline until they were standing before them in a large circle. One...two...three...She eventually counted 20. At least half of them had slashed headbands that showed off their missing nin status. All of them looked ready to battle with lots of sharp weapons in their arsenal.

"Well, well. Look what we have here..."

* * *

An explosion rocked the landscape and shook the two men out of their sleep.

"What the hell was that?!" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke jumped up immediately, his sharingan spinning, looking for the threat. Naruto got up as well and used his enhanced senses to try to gauge a direction. "That way." They both pointed to the same direction at the same time.

"Wanna check it out dobe?" Sasuke asked with a grin. Naruto snorted.

"What happened to staying inconspicuous and out of sight?"

Sasuke shrugged. "We've been sparring with each other for weeks. Don't you think it's about time we see how well we work together instead of just apart?"

"Hm...who am I to argue with that logic?"

They took off in the direction of the battle.

* * *

Sakura yelled as she slammed her chakra enforced punch into the earth, splitting the landscape, and causing the group of ninja to scatter. While they split up, she threw shuriken at them, catching some of the rogue ninja and drawing blood. Sai was making brush strokes at a frenzied pace and a large group of inky tigers jumped off the scroll trampling and biting any body in the way.

The numbers slowly dwindled. What was once over 20 was now 15. Sai, out of the corner of his eye, saw a large number of senbon speeding towards them. "Sakura!" He tackled her, making both of them fall to the ground as the senbon flew overhead. Another man jumped out of a tree with twin kodachis held in position to slash. Sai and Sakura leaped off into opposite directions to avoid him, but only met more ninja.

Sakura was starting to tire. Even now, she still didn't have the greatest chakra reserves and she'd used a lot of her energy in the beginning. She blocked another kunai with her own, but the arm attached to it was much bigger and stronger. She balanced herself and used all her strength to try to push him back. A backhand to her face tossed her away. She groaned when her back smacked into a tree and she slid down into the grass.

Sai took over and kicked at the man, then drew up more animals and sent them after the enemy nins. At the same time he was slashing furiously with his kunai, cutting down anyone in his way, getting injuries of his own in the process. He turned and saw the same ninja with the kodachi sprinting toward Sakura. He ran urgently toward them, hoping he could get there in time. Sakura's eyes widened as the nin got closer and she knew she couldn't possibly move fast enough. She screamed and closed her eyes, waiting for the pain.

But she never felt it.

She opened her eyes and all she saw was the back of her teammate. But her breath hitched when she saw the metal sticking out of his back.

"SAI!" she yelled.

The metal slid back out with a squelch and he slumped down next to Sakura bleeding profusely from the side. "Oh Kami, Sai..." She didn't have time to stop the bleeding seeing that the same blade was now coming toward her. She rolled to the side and the blade just missed her. She immediately scrambled to her feet, but gasped as she felt pain shoot down her spine.

The enemy nin grinned, showing a row of yellowed teeth. "I wouldn't worry about your friend right now. You have more important things to worry about."

"What do you even want with us?"

"You're from Konoha? That's enough for us to want you dead." The man growled.

Sakura panted and looked to the left and the right. There were too many. She couldn't possibly take them all on alone.

And then she saw the blade on its downward arc.

Once again she dodged. Within seconds, she was surrounded. Weapons came at her from every direction and she weaved and flipped her way around them, going on nothing but adrenaline. Abruptly, she was yanked out the air and slammed against a tree with a hand around her neck. She grunted in pain. The hand squeezed tighter and her eyes went wide as she gasped for breath. Her hands scrambled for purchase and her legs kicked out, trying to push him off as he strangled her slowly. Her breath became labored. _'No...not like this. Not before I find Naruto...'_

_

* * *

_Sasuke and Naruto leaped through the trees, coming closer and closer to the battle zone. Naruto heard a loud crack and looked up in time to see a tree falling right toward them. "Sasuke!" He changed direction and slammed into his teammate knocking them both off track and away from the falling tree.

"Hn...thanks dobe."

"Teme."

"Let's go."

They sped off again. Naruto had a feeling about who they just might be running into. "Sasuke. There's only two people in the world who have enough power to knock down a tree like that. Baa-chan or Sakura-chan."

Sasuke hid his shock with the patented Uchiha blank face. Sakura could knock down a tree?! Things really had changed.

The two stopped a few trees away from the clearing. They were just in time to see Sakura being held off the ground by her neck and struggling to get free. Naruto gasped and pulled out a kunai. "Dobe, there's no way you can possibly get him from here." The blond's eyes narrowed.

"Watch me."

He threw the kunai, using wind to weave it through two trees and straight towards the enemy...

* * *

Sakura eyes began to roll back in her head when, suddenly, the hand went slack. She fell to the ground choking and gasping for air. The man was still standing above her, his hand still in the air where her neck would've been, blood trickled from his mouth. Then, slowly, he pitched forward and fell to the ground dead. That's when she saw the kunai sticking out the back of his head. Her eyes widened in shock. She looked over at her injured teammate. He was still struggling to move so she knew it didn't come from him.

Every one of the rogues stopped their advance toward the choking kunoichi and turned in the direction the flying weapon came from. All of them tensed up with their weapons at the ready. Sakura took advantage of the distraction and crawled to her injured teammate. "Sai." She whispered. He moaned, which made her breathe a sigh of relief. She gathered herself and used the last of her chakra to start healing his side. Sai coughed and tried to move. "No Sai, don't move."

"Sakura, we need to move while they're distracted." He whispered.

She helped him turn over and wrapped his arm around her. They were about to stand up when they heard the snap of a branch. They looked up, thinking the rogues were about to attack them again. But they still weren't looking at the two of them. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, only to gasp again as two cloaked figures appeared from the forest and walked into the clearing. The moment she saw the cloaks, she panicked. _"Are they...?" _Sakura blinked. No, that wasn't it. There were no clouds on the black cloaks and she relaxed, only slightly.

She couldn't see either one's face with the hoods over their heads. One of them was hefting a sword over his shoulder. The other had nothing in his hands. Both looked like they were just taking a leisurely stroll through the woods instead of getting ready to do battle. The one with the sword lifted it and stuck the edge in the ground leaving it to stand on end. A voice was heard throughout the clearing, quiet yet strong.

"If you value your life, leave now, or die."

-

-

_Edited 03/12/2010_

**a/n:** Yes cliffhanger, I know. Please don't hurt the lowly writer -dodges weapons- The next update will probably take a bit longer. Unfortunately I've finally caught up with all the chapters I had written ahead of time. So, I'm starting almost from scratch. Hopefully it'll be up by next week.

Shunshin no Jutsu – Body Flicker Technique/Teleportation

Doton Doryuheki: Earth Release: Earth Style Wall

Raikiri: Lightning Blade


	18. Found and Lost Again

**a/n: **I know you're probably thinking FINALLY!!! I'm sorry for the long wait. I have now come to the conclusion that fight scenes are the bane of my existence. I can do the rest of the storytelling just fine, but fight scenes…argh! So, I took the advice of one of my reviewers and took a break from this because the action part had become such a struggle to write. So, in the meantime, I ended up writing The Get Itachi Laid Challenge which became my main preoccupation for quite a while. I'm glad I took some time off of this though because I had some decisions to make regarding some of my characters and figure out the direction I wanted to go with the rest of the story. Well, now I have more of it figured out, so yay!

Thanks for the awesome reviews as well as for your patience. This chapter is a bit short. I will make up for it next chapter though...there will be quite a lot happening in that one. Think of this as a prelude to transition or something like that XD

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own Naruto.

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks  
**

**Ch. 17 - Found and Lost Again  
**

* * *

--

**Speaking:** "Blah blah"

**Thoughts:** _'Blah blah'_

--

The clearing was completely quiet except for the wind that gusted through the trees, making the dark cloaks whip around the two in the center of it all. Sakura and Sai stood still, unsure of whether to move or to stay. Sakura was trying to detect any chakra around the two and got nothing. Who were they?

One of the men started laughing loudly. "Who the hell do you think you are? What can the two of you possibly do against all of us?"

Of course, as all good little followers do, the group laughed along with him. The ringing sound of steel sang through the clearing. One and all confidently showed off their array of weapons with bloodthirsty grins.

The circle around the cloaked figures slowly began to close. "Let's see how much you talk after we cut you open."

Under the cloaks, unseen by anyone, both males smirked.

Sakura continued to stare at the scene before her. She actually began to feel worried for the two strangers. Sai, however, was feeling the urgent need to move. "Sakura. We really should move." He whispered.

"Huh?" She turned her head and suddenly remembered that she had an injured teammate.

"Oh...I have to stop the bleeding." Sai waved her off.

"Don't bother. Right now we need to move."

"But-"

"Sakura, quit worrying about me and move us out of the way. Now!" He said urgently. He could feel the killer intent rising and he wanted to be out of the way. Sakura finally got the message. She nodded and pulled his arm around her shoulder to take on all of his weight and slowly moved away from the clearing. She sat his practically dead weight against a tree - just far enough away to see what was happening, but not be in the line of fire. Green chakra covered her hand as she tried to heal his worst injuries.

All the men yelled and charged as one. The two males turned back to back. Sasuke smirked and slightly turned his head.

"Ready dobe."

"Always."

"And remember, no jutsus that will identify who we are."

"Yeah yeah, I know." Naruto grinned and took his stance. Both of them had a few shuriken hidden between their fingers.

"Winner buys dinner at the next village."

"You've got yourself a deal! You sure you can handle my bill? You know how much I can eat." By that time the group was upon them in a crush.

"Shut up, you glutton."

Sakura attempted to heal Sai as much as she could with the little chakra she had left. They both leaned against tree and watched the scene. "Can you see them at all?" Sakura asked. The black figures were now surrounded so tightly by the group of bloodthirsty men, she couldn't see anything. Sai shook his head, he couldn't see them either.

Pakkun reappeared, they hardly noticed, so intent the two were on finding the two unknown saviors. The dog surveyed the scene with a frown on his pug face. The wind blew and he got a whiff of something. He took a few test sniffs. Yes...very familiar. _'Hmm.' _He glanced at his two charges who had no idea who they had unwittingly run into. If he was human he would've chuckled at the irony. For now, though, he kept his discovery to himself. There would be more time for show and tell after the battle ended.

Sakura bit her lip and kept watching anxiously for any sign of the two figures. Suddenly, both of them appeared outside the pile of violence.

"Now!" Sasuke yelled and they let their weapons fly unerringly toward their targets. The moment their hands were free, they started flying through hand signs. "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," they whispered. A few shuriken suddenly became hundreds and flew towards the group, who had just now noticed that the only things in the center were two logs. Curses rang out as they tried to dodge the oncoming projectiles. Some weren't so lucky. The rest scattered.

Naruto sensed danger from below and jumped high into the air just as two arms came out of the ground. He flipped backwards and then dodged again to avoid the many senbon flying towards him from the treeline. His eyes narrowed and he grabbed a kunai, filled it with wind chakra, and flung it hard. It went right through the tree and stabbed the unsuspecting nin, killing him instantly.

Sasuke growled as a crowd surrounded him. Him and his stupid rules...he just made his own fight harder. Naruto held the advantage in that their Konoha audience had no idea what he could really do. Unfortunately, that didn't hold true for him. They knew _exactly _what he could do. So that meant no lightning jutsus, no clan jutsus, no snakes, and definitely no sharingan.

He grabbed a fist that was headed for his face and swung the arm around until it snapped and the man fell to the ground yelling in pain. He saw a flash of steel out of the corner of his eye and gracefully ducked, grabbed the wrist, and sent a powerful kick into the mans stomach. His other leg whipped around, catching another man's head and knocking him out. At the same time, he pulled a kunai and slashed out while he spun on one foot. He became a blur of lethal arms and legs, using his speed and agility to take out enemies one by one.

Naruto grinned as he fought. He hadn't had a chance to fight like this in a long time and he was enjoying every second of it. Five men stood in front of him, grinning and ready for the kill. They thought the one man was at a disadvantage. They thought wrong. He relaxed his stance, baiting them to come forward. They all charged him like idiots. In the blink of an eye and a rush of air he was behind them and with one slash of his sword two more went down. _'Three to go.'_

Those three turned and growled at him. He grinned back. All of them started doing hand signs.

"Too late." Naruto taunted. "Kaze no Yaiba." The wind picked up and swiftly surrounded the three and invisible blades slashed them all over their bodies.

Sasuke was having a blast. Even with the extra handicap, it was still too easy. Well, he cheated just a little....Team Kakashi couldn't see him using the Sharingan under the huge hood. The ones unfortunate enough to get caught looking into his eyes were immediately caught in genjutsu. They screamed in terror at whatever it was they saw before they were subsequently knocked out.

More fighters took their place.

He shunshined away, then turned and flung three shuriken with wires attached toward his targets. One familiar jutsu couldn't hurt, right? It was one that anyone could know. As soon as the wire trapped them, he flew through hand signs and whispered "Ryuuka no Jutsu." Fire sped down the wire toward the screaming and struggling men, lighting them aflame.

He smirked and then looked up to see Naruto finishing off the last of them.

"Well?" Naruto asked as he walked towards Sasuke. He brushed his hands together and wiped the hands on his cloak. He looked like he had just gotten though dealing with some trash.

"15."

"Dammit! Same here."

"Hn...No free food for you then." Sasuke said smugly. Naruto growled.

"Aww..."

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the two men gaining the upper hand and went back to healing more of Sai's injuries. She moaned when her own head started spinning. Stopping her healing chakra flow, she put a hand to her head.

"Sakura, you need to stop. You've done enough for now."

"But Sai..."

"Here." A deeper voice interrupted. Sakura jumped slightly. She couldn't feel a chakra signature at all and it bothered her. She turned her head to the side and saw a soldier pill in a calloused palm. She looked up the black sleeved arm to a large hood that covered the person's identity. She couldn't see the person's face at all.

"Uh...thank you."

"You should concentrate on healing yourself. He will finish healing your friend." He pointed to his black cloaked twin who, at that point, slowly glided over and kneeled down and prepared to heal Sai's injuries.

Sakura, now that her chakra had been replenished, began healing her own injuries. When she was finished, she rested and waited. She noticed the way Pakkun was sitting near one of the men getting scratched behind the ears and looking quite content. That was...strange? She couldn't imagine a ninja dog would allow a stranger so close so easily.

_'What was going on?'_

She continued to watch the pug. Pakkun had his eyes closed like he was in bliss. So he was completely comfortable with this man. Why? The only people she ever remembered the dog being that comfortable around was the members of Team 7. Could it be....no, it couldn't...Naruto couldn't fight like that. Besides, why would he be all the way out here and not in Bird Country?

The one that was healing Sai's injuries stood up and nodded to his companion. It distracted her from her thoughts.

Naruto saw Sasuke stand and nod. He knew that meant he was ready to leave. He turned back to Sakura. "I suggest you both take it easy tonight before moving on. I doubt you'll have any more trouble." He gave one last pat on the dog's head and stood. "Hope you both have a safe journey." He walked away with a wave and joined the other stranger.

"Wait!" Sakura yelled. "You saved our lives. At least tell us who you are."

They kept walking. Something kept telling her she needed to stop them. She looked over at Pakkun.

"Who are they? You know who they are right? I know you wouldn't let just anyone around you like that."

"Yes, I've met them before." The dog replied cryptcially. He knew his mission, but he couldn't resist seeing how long it would take the girl to figure it out.

Sakura stared down at him for a moment. Then she looked out at the two strangers who were becoming smaller and smaller as they walked away. She prayed to Kami that, just maybe, she'd be right. "Naruto..."

They didn't stop. Maybe she was wrong...maybe it wasn't him.

But...what if it was?

She ran after them. "NARUTO!"

Naruto heard her the first time. His hearing was keener than normal due to the Kyuubi. He could ignore her. He just had to keep walking. Soon they would be far enough away.

"NARUTO!"

He clenched his fist as he heard her desperate yell. Then he heard the feet pounding behind them. If he didn't answer, would she turn around and go back, believing it wasn't him?

"Dammit." he whispered. He couldn't do it. He couldn't leave her wondering like that. He stopped. Without turning around he spoke. "I do not know who this Naruto is that you speak of." He prepared to take another step away.

Sakura caught up and then stopped a few feet behind them. The wind blew her pink hair around her face, but she didn't bother to brush the errant strands away. Pakkun's words made her confident enough to dispute the words. "Liar."

The wind blew again. The grass swayed. Black cloaks fluttered to the side. But the figures still did not move.

"I know it's you. It _has _to be you. Pakkun would never let just anyone touch him." She then addressed the dog summon. "Pakkun you can smell him, right?" The dog gave a nod. She directed her words back at the two figures. "See? His nose never lies."

Naruto cursed again.

"Naruto…please? Our mission was to find you." Desperately, she tried to think of anything to get him to stay. "If you leave, we'll just keep following you."

Naruto rolled his eyes and sighed. He glanced at Sasuke who raised his brow. They both sighed. They knew it wasn't an idle threat. She would do it.

"You know, this is your own damn fault Dobe. If you hadn't stopped-"

"Yeah yeah, I know."

"Softie."

"Shut up! I can't help it. But, we're not staying long." He mumbled just loud enough so Sasuke could hear.

"Hn."

Sakura waited, holding her breath. The two men still hadn't moved yet. In her mind she was pleading...praying for him to turn around and reveal those recognizable blond spikes and sky blue eyes. She had to be right.

Finally, one of them turned and raised a hand to the hood. She watched the hood fall backwards. It revealed blond spikes that began to sway with the wind. She gasped and gripped her shirt with one hand while the other hand flew to her mouth to cover a sob. He was really there. Right there in front of her. _'Naruto...'_

"Hello Sakura-chan."

Tears filled her green orbs at the familiar name. It was really him.

But nothing could have prepared her for what happened next. The figure next to Naruto turned around to face her and pulled down his hood as well.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. That face...those dark eyes...it was a face she had stopped thinking she would ever see again.

"...Sasuke?" she whispered. "Sasuke...is it really you?"

Both her teammates were right there in front of her. Tears of happiness coursed down her face. She never could've imagined she'd see them both together again. Her Team 7. She almost didn't know who to go to first. Almost... She went to the one person she had missed more than anything...

"Naruto!" She jumped on him and wrapped her arms around him, crying and yelling at him at the same time.

Naruto was wide eyed, arms tense at his sides, not sure what to do about the almost hysterical female. He wasn't used to that kind of treatment from Sakura, of all people. Finally getting past his shock, he wrapped his arms around her. "I missed you Sakura."

She pulled back a bit and grinned at him sweetly before punching him in the gut and sending him back some feet away. "BAKA! You would've left without saying one word? Not one? Even after all we've been through?"

Now THAT was the Sakura he knew and loved.

Sasuke was chuckling at the dobe's misfortune of still being yelled at by the female of their team...until Sakura turned and glared in his direction.

"And YOU!" Sasuke lost his smirk.

She stalked toward him, clenching her fist. This wasn't the same girl who had spent her early genin days fawning over him. Sasuke was starting to think that maybe it was a mistake for the dobe to give her a soldier pill. It took all of his Uchiha pride not to move backwards in fear as she stalked forward.

"I'm not sure whether to punch you or hug you."

Sasuke stared at her impassively, not showing one bit of the panic he really felt

"Hn."

Sakura stopped and giggled at the oh-so-typical Sasuke response. "You bastard." Oh my, she was even starting to channel Naruto. She stood in front of him for a moment without moving at all. Then quicker than he could move away, she wrapped her arms around him in a hug, not caring that Sasuke tensed up. She knew he'd hate the hug more than the violence...that's why she chose it.

Naruto came up behind the two and laughed at the way Sasuke was tensed up in Sakura's arms. "You could at least hug her back teme." Sakura let go of her once-upon-a-time crush and stepped back.

"Shut up moron." Sasuke replied.

"Damn woman...you still pack a punch, don't you?" Naruto turned to Sakura, rubbing his stomach where she punched him.

"You're lucky I don't hit you harder, idiot." She smiled and reached up – who'd have thought he'd get even taller – and ruffled his hair. "I missed you too."

Naruto grinned. Oh how she missed that goofy grin of his.

Naruto walked over to his old teammate and put out a hand. Sai took it and allowed the blond to pull him up. He gave a slight smile, not one of those fake ones either, as he shook Naruto's hand. "So, long time no see dickless."

If Sai thought the blond would rant and scream over what he said like he did when they were younger, he was wrong. He did retaliate in a different way though. "I bet I'm packing more than you, Sai. Wanna compare?"

Sasuke snickered quietly. Only Naruto would say something crude like that. Sakura was sputtering indignantly, finally settling on yelling at the two for saying something so inappropriate.

Naruto cocked his head to the side, looking a bit confused. "Hey, where's Kakashi-sensei? He sent you two out here on your own?"

"Well, he was with us, but he got summoned back to Konoha. He told us to keep going with the mission." Sakura replied.

"Ah." Naruto wondered what could be so serious that Kakashi would leave a mission behind. "Well, it's getting late. We should probably set up camp somewhere that isn't, well, here." He gestured at the carnage. Everyone nodded in agreement.

* * *

The four sat around a fire in a clearing some miles ahead of the area they left behind. Naruto heated some water for tea. Sai rested in his sleeping bag after Sakura threatened him in order to make sure he didn't move around too much and upset his just healed injuries. Sakura leaned against a tree watching Naruto and Sasuke talk in low tones. It seems those two have gotten to be quite close. She wondered how that happened.

"So Sakura?"

"Hm?" She looked over at Naruto.

"Why were you guys looking for me?"

"Tsunade-sama sent us to find you. Akatsuki has all the other tailed demons. They're just looking for you now."

"She gave us a mission to stay with you and keep you far away from Konoha." Sai added. Naruto raised an eyebrow in Uchiha-esque fashion at that.

"You expect me to run away?"

Sakura and Sai glanced at one another. This could be a problem. They had never considered the fact that Naruto might not be agreeable.

"No, it's not like that. It's just...you're the last one. If they catch you, Kami help us all." Sakura explained.

"What makes you think they'd catch him? They haven't been able to even find him in all this time." Sasuke asked.

"I... Look, just think of it as cautionary protection."

Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes. Well, if that wasn't the wrong thing to say... Naruto's eyes briefly flashed red in annoyance.

"I'm not some twelve year old genin who needs protection anymore. And I sure as hell haven't been sitting on my ass doing nothing the last few years I've been gone, as you can tell. I'm not running."

"But Naruto..."

"Sakura." Sasuke stopped her. His eyes were so intensely focused on her she had to look away. She heard the message in the way he said her name. Leave it alone. So she did. They had just reunited...the last thing she wanted to do was make either of them angry. She hoped it would be easier to convince Naruto after a good night's sleep.

Only the night sounds and the popping of the wood as it burned broke the sudden silence.

Naruto stared at the two of them for a moment before sighing and looking away. He knew baa-chan meant well and Sakura and Sai were just following orders, but he and Sasuke would have to ditch the two. Their plans included going _to_ Konoha, not away from it. He couldn't have them following and interfering.

Sakura tugged on the hem of her clothing nervously as the silence continued. Maybe it would be better to talk about something else.

"So..." Naruto turned back to Sakura.

"How'd you two meet up? Last time I heard anything about Sasuke was after..." She stopped, unsure how to go on. Why did she keep sticking her foot in her mouth?

"After Itachi died." Sasuke finished quietly. "You can say his name. I won't lose it."

Another uncomfortable silence followed. Sakura knew he wouldn't want pity. She really wasn't sure what to say. Maybe she should just shut up.

"I saved his life." Naruto broke the silence. Sakura looked up.

Sasuke snorted. "I was fine dobe."

"Whatever teme. You were bleeding all over the place."

"Che..." Sakura shook her head and couldn't help but laugh. Her boys hadn't changed a bit - at least not with each other. They had definitely grown up though. Both were quite tall, with Naruto standing only a couple of inches shorter than Sasuke. However, where Sasuke stayed slim, Naruto was broader. There was a little piece of her mind that wondered just how built he was under that shirt. Who'd have thought she'd think of Naruto like that. They were still opposites in coloring - Sasuke being pale while Naruto was tanned. They both had let their hair grow out a bit and they both looked handsome with it like that. And she had just seen firsthand how powerful they were. Actually, even then she really didn't have much of a gauge of just how powerful they might be. They took out that large group of men like they were fresh genin out of the academy. How powerful were they really?

I a way, she felt sad...no maybe jealous. They left her behind. Sure, she always knew they would be more powerful than her. But they were so far ahead of her now, she had no chance of getting close to them. But it wasn't just that...it was that she no longer felt that bond with them. Even when they were genin - when Sasuke and she were both annoyed by Naruto - they were still a team. Now, though, the two had forged bonds that she could no longer compete with. She was with Team Kakashi. They were a team of their own.

"Anyways..." Naruto drawled, interrupting her depressing train of thought, "he saved a couple of friends of mine. They brought him to me passed out with injuries. I fixed him up good as new. He stayed while he healed. We got to know each other again and well...he ended up staying and we kind of became training partners." He put some herbs in with the tea and let it steep for a bit.

"And you were really in Bird Country all this time?" Naruto nodded.

"How did you know that's where we were?" Sasuke asked.

"Kakashi summoned Pakkun and let him sniff Naruto's last letter. He picked up his scent and some scent that was only found in Bird Country."

"Hn."

Naruto poured tea into cups for all four of them and passed them around keeping one for himself.

"Mmm, this is good." Sakura said after taking a sip. Sai nodded in agreement.

"Thanks. A little specialty of someone in Bird Country." Sasuke flicked his eyes toward Naruto and tipped the cup to his lips.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke ran side by side. They were almost a blur as they ran through River Country.

"So, how long do you think that little trick of yours will hold up." Sasuke asked.

"Well, baa-chan said one pinch in a cup would be enough to knock a person out for a couple of hours. I used enough to probably keep them asleep for at least 7 or 8 hours."

"Hn. Good thing I caught on and didn't drink any of it. Well, we should be out of River Country by the time they wake up."

"Yep, and by running on the river Pakkun can't track us this time."

Naruto's "tea" was actually an herbal concoction used to knock someone out without them suspecting anything. He had never used it before, but he had always figured keeping the herbs on him would come in handy one day. Well this had been the day. They couldn't allow Sakura and Sai to interfere with their plans. It was for the best that they left the two behind.

Unfortunately, he knew that once Sakura woke up and figured out what happened, he would have to make sure he didn't run into her anytime soon. She was going to be pissed.

* * *

It was well past dawn when Sakura finally woke up. She moaned and stretched, then noticed she was in her tent. She frowned. _'I don't remember falling asleep in here. Maybe one of the boys carried me to bed.'_ She walked out of her tent expecting to greet her three male teammates.

Or not...

She looked around and saw nothing but an empty clearing and Sai sitting on a log already prepared to leave. "Where's N-"

"Gone."

Her hands clenched at her sides and her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean done?!" she growled.

Sai shrugged. "They gave us the slip sometime while we were asleep."

Sakura fell on her backside. She couldn't believe...

Wait.

She started thinking about how they could've possibly left without either of them knowing. She remembered all of them talking. Naruto made tea. She drank it while he...

Suddenly she stood up and screamed. "DAMMIT!!!!!!"

Sai's eyes widened slightly.

She looked over at her teammate. "It was the TEA!"

Growling in anger, she stalked over to her tent and supplies and got prepared to leave. The next time she saw both of them, she was going to kill them.

--

--

_Edited 03/14/2010_

**a/n:** Finally! There it is, another chapter done. Hope you enjoyed them meeting up. I bet you're wondering what's happening in Konoha. You'll find out next chapter. Please review.

**Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** - Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique

**Kaze no Yaiba** - Sword of Wind

**Ryuuka no Jutsu** - Dragon Fire Technique


	19. Seals and Tattoos

**a/n: **Gah! This new name will take some getting used to. Ah well. But hey! Look at that...I'm early! Thank you for all of your reviews. It makes my day reading what you think. Anyways, this chapter was a doosy to write with all the research I had to do and all. So thanks for your patience and hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 18 - Seals and Tattoos  
**

* * *

--

**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

--

As the first light of dawn began to make its hazy appearance across the dark sky, Naruto and Sasuke were speeding through the grass and trees of River Country, getting closer to the borders of Fire Country.

"Hey teme?"

"Hn."

"How close are we to Fire Country?"

"We're about to cross the border now."

Naruto looked at the forest of trees up ahead. "Before we get too far into Fire Country, we'll need to stop so I can do the seals for our permanent henge. Are there any of those outposts of yours nearby?"

"Yes, not too far from the border. We'll reach one of them within an hour."

"Great! I'm starved."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're always hungry dobe."

"Well I can't help it if my metabolism is like a furnace."

"No wonder you ate so much ramen. I'm surprised 20 or more bowls at a time didn't make you seriously ill."

"Hey! Ramen would never make me sick...even if I did get sick of eating it."

--

An hour later they reached a dense section of forest with no path to speak of. Naruto looked at the green surroundings uncertainly. "Now what?"

"We walk."

"Walk where?" Naruto asked with arms gesturing futilely to the dense forest around them. There wasn't even a path.

Sasuke calmly walked straight into the brush without answering, not even bothering to see if the blond would follow. Naruto grumbled and followed him into the trees. The dark ninja slowly fought his way through the branches, causing the blond behind him to keep getting whacked by the offending branches that swung back toward his face.

"Watch it teme!" Naruto hissed while using his arm to block the whipping branch from striking his face.

Ahead of him, Sasuke smirked. "Oops."

Naruto glared at his friend's back. "Oops? What do you mean oops you jerk?!"

Sasuke chuckled and trudged ahead. A few minutes later he stopped in front of a massive tree surrounded by - what do you know? - more trees.

"We're here."

Naruto looked around to see where 'here' was. It sure didn't seem like an outpost. It just looked like more forest. "Uh...teme, maybe you've used your sharingan a bit too much and you're going blind or something, because there's nothing here."

"Idiot. Now would be a good time for you to listen to your old sensei's advice to 'Look underneath the underneath.'" Naruto sighed. Yeah, he had already tried that and he wasn't seeing anything abnormal. Sasuke smirked at the blond's confusion.

"Quit smirking teme. Just tell me what I'm missing."

Sasuke gestured in front of him. The only thing that was in front of him was the...

Ohhh...

"The tree?" Naruto looked at his friend in disbelief. Sasuke nodded. Well, if he said so. Naruto gave a shrug and was about to place his hand on the tree when it was grabbed an inch from impact by Sasuke.

"Trying to blast yourself into oblivion dobe?"

"Huh?"

"You didn't think the clan would have some kind of key and failsafe in place? It _is_ an Uchiha outpost, after all."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Fine teme, you deal with it."

Sasuke's sharingan began to spin. Naruto watched as thin fingers started poking random spots on the tree. After doing it six times, there was a slight shimmer and the genjutsu lifted to show that what he originally thought was a tree was actually a doorway. Tiny was the only way to describe the building. It looked like an outhouse. He glanced at his teammate puzzled at…well, everything.

"The sharingan can see the random chakra points that are used as the code. I'm assuming it changes every time someone comes so there is no pattern that can be memorized. Anyway, if you don't hit those exact spots, it proves you obviously aren't an Uchiha and the threat gets eliminated, probably by a built in katon or raiton type jutsu." Sasuke explained.

"Ah...that explains it. This can't be all there is to the outpost though, right?"

"Hn." Sasuke smirked then turned and walked through the door. "Stay close and you'll find out." Naruto took his advice and followed him. As soon as the door closed behind him there was nothing but inky darkness. Naruto gasped and jumped when he felt a hand on him. "What the..."

"It's just me scaredy cat."

"I'm not scared!" Naruto yelled indignantly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Only Naruto would be jumpy in the dark. He was probably afraid of ghosts or something. He grabbed his friend's hand. "Come on dobe and don't trip on the steps."

"Huh? What steps? Whoa..." Naruto asked right before his foot met air. Only his fast reflexes kept him from pitching forward.

Sasuke snorted. "Those."

"You did that on purpose didn't you?"

"Hn."

"Bastard."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"Doesn't matter. I'll take it that way."

The banter continued the entire descent into deep darkness. Finally, they reached the end of the stairs and walked forward a bit before coming to a stop. Sasuke let go of Naruto's hand and then did a small fire jutsu. Naruto wasn't sure what he did, but a stream of fire was slowly moving around the room until the entire room was lit.

When Naruto could finally see the room in all its glory, his mouth dropped open. It was huge! He walked into the room and turned in a slow circle, taking in the massive room.

"Whoa teme. You've got enough room to house the entire clan in here."

"I think that was the general idea at the time."

Naruto, of course, noticed the constant theme of red and white fans. "You know teme, your clan has quite a fixation with its symbol. Think you could have enough of it around?"

"It's called pride dobe."

"Or obsession."

"Whatever."

Both of them tossed their packs on the floor and rolled out their sleeping bags.

"So, since this is an outpost and people were expected to stay here, is there any place to get a shower or something?"

"Don't know. I hope so. And if there is one, I hope it still works. It's not like anyone's been here in years." Sasuke grabbed a lit torch and took Naruto down a hallway. They came to a door. Upon opening it, they were surprised to find a large food storage area.

"Man they were prepared for everything huh?"

Sasuke nodded. "Too bad this stuff is too old to eat."

Naruto peeked inside. "Are you sure about that?"

"You want to take a chance on eating 10 year old food, be my guest. Don't blame me if you die of food poisoning."

"Heh...think I'll pass."

"Thought so."

Moving on, they found another door. It led to more stairs, but there was a very distinct scent that made both males eyes widen.

"If that's what I think it is, I just might kiss you." Naruto almost bounced up and down in excitement. He hadn't been to a hot spring in sooooo long.

"Please spare me." Sasuke blandly replied. They went down more stairs. When the stairs ended, they were looking at an underground hot spring. Naruto grinned at his companion and jumped in the air pumping his fist. "WHOOP! I never thought I'd say this, but I LOVE the Uchiha clan!"

Sasuke grinned back and started back up the stairs. "I'm going to get a change of clothes. Better hurry up before you get lost finding your way back dobe."

"Shut up teme. I am perfectly directional."

"So says the dead last who couldn't read a map."

"Teme! Don't bring that up. That was a long time ago." Naruto heard a chuckle as the footsteps moved farther and farther away. "Hey teme, wait for me!"

--

After having taken a much needed trip to the underground springs, Naruto and Sasuke were lying side by side in their sleeping bags staring up at the stone ceiling. If Naruto wasn't thinking so much, he'd probably entertain himself by making shadow animals using the fire light.

"Hey teme?" Sasuke turned his head to the side. "Have you thought about what you want to look like yet?"

"Not particularly."

"Well think about it."

"Naruto, I want to sleep." Sasuke groaned.

"How hard can it be? It'll only take a minute."

Sasuke sighed. "Fine dobe."

"Hmm, you should want to look different from your normal emo-looking self..."

"I'm not emo!"

"Red is a-"

"NO! Anything but red."

"Why not?"

"Reminds me of my old teammate. Her name was Karin. She was like the reincarnation of Sakura." Sasuke shuddered.

"Heh heh, scared of your fangirls Sasuke?" Said person glared. "Ok, fine, no red."

"Look can't I just be dull and boring? All my life I've been recognized either for my looks, my name, or my sharingan. For once I just want to walk around without being noticed. Just give me brown hair and brown eyes or something."

"Light brown..."

"What?"

"Brown hair, light brown eyes."

"Hn. Whatever dobe. Do what you want. I'm going to sleep." Sasuke turned on his side yawning.

Naruto was too busy thinking to sleep. He was going through the seals he would need in his head. The last thing that he needed was for something to go wrong. Plus there was one more problem. He wasn't all that sure what he wanted to look like either. Hmm...maybe they could be brothers. That would be kind of funny.

* * *

Sasuke stretched as he woke up. After blinking the sleep away, he noticed Naruto on the other side of the room with a paint brush. He sat up and watched the blond hard at work. It was still strange to see the so-called dead last be so focused on a task. There was a reason he was called Konoha's most hyperactive ninja. During the days of Team 7, he always assumed the boy had the attention span of a flea. Naruto never sat still and never paid attention back then. It was amazing to see him so focused now.

He almost opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. Seals were very precise things and the worst thing that could happen would be to distract a person that was making one. One little mistake and the whole thing would have to be re-created.

He stood up and slowly walked closer, making sure to scrape his shoes lightly against the ground so Naruto wouldn't be startled out of his concentration. Now that he was standing closer, he could see the intricate patterns of the seal. He shook his head. The dobe had hidden away so much of his talent. It just made him hate the hypocrisy of Konoha even more.

"About time you woke up." Naruto said softly.

Sasuke sat down cross legged about a foot away from the edge of the seal. "How long have you been awake?"

"About an hour." The dark eyes went wide.

"You got all this done in an hour?!"

"Well I had clones helping me with the easier parts of it. I dispelled them so I could concentrate on the intricate stuff."

"Ah."

Sasuke let his eyes roam over the entire seal. He couldn't make heads or tails of the details besides some of the familiar kanji. In a way, it kind of pissed him off that he didn't understand the nature of seals. That meant Naruto was better than him at something. But he had finally matured enough to understand that it was the fate of all rivals. One would always be better at something or other. He could at least comfort himself with the fact that the dobe couldn't create or get out of a genjutsu to save his life without some help. As an Uchiha, genjutsu came naturally for him.

"So, want me to tell you what I'm doing?" Naruto asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"Besides the fact that you're creating a seal?"

"Well yeah, that much is obvious. But it's what's behind the seal that makes quite an interesting lesson."

Sasuke shrugged. Naruto chuckled and kept drawing while he spoke. "Each seal has a pattern. As you know, all hand seals are related to animals. And certain animals are related to certain elements or abilities." The pale ninja nodded in understanding. That much he already knew.

"Now in this case, because we're creating illusions, and tattoo art, there are certain elements and signs that must be used to make the seal work." He stood up and stretched a bit now that the floor was finished. He waved a hand at his creation. "So, tell me what you see."

Sasuke looked down and examined every part of the large seal, doing his best to take in all the smaller details. "I recognize pretty much every sign but this one." He pointed to one character. Naruto grinned and nodded. Sasuke had pointed to the kanji for kitsune, which was right in the middle of the large pattern. "I've never seen that before." The blond chuckled.

"That's because you wouldn't. There's a long way too boring story behind that, which I refuse to bother going into detail about right now. But suffice to say, there is no hand sign for kitsune. As far as I know, there never has been. Besides, even if there was, I'm sure it would be considered a taboo subject in Konoha, like everything else fox related. Knowing them, they'd probably ban the ninja population from using it. The Kyuubi, back when we were still on some semblance of speaking terms, told me about the kitsune seal and its purpose." Naruto sat down next to the Uchiha and mimicked his position, then relaxed a bit. "Actually, it makes sense considering that most people think of the kitsune as a trickster. Since this sealing is basically for the purpose of casting a permanent illusion, it's only natural that it revolves around a symbol for kitsunes."

"I'm surprised you included snakes." Sasuke had seen the snake symbols more than once and wondered why.

"Hey, I may not be particularly fond of them, thanks to Orochimaru, but they are a necessity. Humans are tied to the earth. I'm sure you spent enough time with the pedo-snake to know that snake hand seals are tied to every earth jutsu. Then, of course, there's the healing properties that are associated with it. That's why pretty much all healing jutsus involve a snake hand sign as well. Anyhow, in this case, we need it for the tattoos so our skin can heal properly. Next, I'm sure you recognize the tiger and fire signs."

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty obvious. I'm assuming it's because the tattoo will be permanently burned into our skin."

"Yep. And then the wind signs will balance things out, working as a cooling agent to keep the burning from being too painful." Naruto sighed and smiled. "Now there's only one more part left to do. Strip."

Sasuke's eyebrow rose. "Strip?" Naruto gave a lewd grin.

"That's right. Since this involves our skin and our chakra, we'll both need to keep as little on our skin as possible. I have to paint seals on our skin to connect it to the seals on the floor. Just keep your boxers on. That should be ok."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You just want to get me naked dobe."

"Yeah right, like I haven't already seen you naked. It's not nosebleed-worthy or anything."

"Che, whatever dobe. All the fangirls out there seem to think differently."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "That's because I'm pretty sure they're all blinded by your glowing broody personality. And when have you ever cared what the fangirls think?"

"I don't. So shut up and get on with it."

"I can't. You haven't stripped for me yet." Naruto replied, waggling his eyebrows and giving Sasuke another grin.

Sasuke sighed. "You're such an idiot. Why am I not surprised you turned into such a pervert after being trained by one?" He went about stripping to his boxers. Naruto did the same.

"Well at least I wasn't stuck with a sick pedophile. Now, kneel in the middle circle." They both moved toward the middle. Naruto knelt on one side and Sasuke knelt on the other. The blond created a shadow clone that proceeded to take the paintbrush and ink and draw a variety of interwoven characters starting from their feet and legs, up their chests and backs and up to their necks. Naruto couldn't help the giggle that escaped him. Sasuke gave him a weird look. "What? It tickles."

"Hn...dobe."

"Shut it teme. You know it tickles."

Sasuke sat there stone-faced. "I am not ticklish."

"Sure you aren't. I'll test that theory one day when you least expect it."

"The hell you will!"

"What are you so worried about? I thought you weren't ticklish."

"Hn."

"Ha! I'm right, aren't I? You are ticklish."

"Hn." Sasuke smirked

If they weren't already inked up, Naruto might have tackled the smirking Uchiha. "Bastard. Stop being an ass and tell me what kind of tattoo you want."

Sasuke sobered up quickly. He really hadn't decided on one. Naruto had already warned him not to use a snake, for obvious reasons. Beyond that, he wasn't really sure. Considering the tattoo would be with him forever, it had to be something he wouldn't hate having after a few years. Hmm...

Naruto was having the same dilemma. It surprised him sometimes how much influence foxes have had on his life, even if it was grudgingly. He had been thinking of using a fox for his tattoo, but since it was such a taboo topic in Konoha, it probably wouldn't be the brightest idea to draw attention to himself while trying to go incognito.

"A flying raven." A serious voice interrupted his thoughts.

"What?"

Sasuke looked up into Naruto's blue eyes. "A flying raven." He bit his lip. Now that he knew the truth about his brother, it was the one thing he could think of to honor Itachi's memory. "It's only right." He mumbled then looked away.

Naruto searched the onyx eyes. He saw a slight bit of emotion in them before Sasuke closed himself off. He knew why he picked that particular animal. "I understand."

Sasuke nodded before collecting himself and looking back at the blond across from him. "What about you?"

"Well, since I can't use a fox, I was thinking of maybe using a tiger." Sasuke thought about it and laughed.

"Yeah, that sounds like you."

"Yeah yeah yeah...Now, moving on... Our tattoos will be made with our blood so we need to cut our hand and let the blood drip into separate bowls."

"Why can't we just put both of ours in at one time and save the trouble?"

"Well, we could, but there might be a few side effects."

"Like?"

"Well, if we mix our blood, when the seal is activated and the tattoo is bonded to our skin, we'd be connected to each other. It would almost be like a blood bond. There's no guarantee, since this will be my first time doing something like this, but it could cause us to feel each other's emotions under times of stress. Or worst case scenario, we might hear each others thoughts."

"Hn." The wheels started turning in the Uchiha's head. Truthfully, Sasuke thought it might not be a bad plan to mix their blood. At least if something bad happened to either of them when they were in Konoha, the other would be alerted. Sure it would take some getting used to, but as close as they were, it wouldn't be so bad. All they had was each other to depend on right now anyway. "Do it."

Naruto looked surprised that the Uchiha was actually willing. "You sure about this Sasuke?" he asked quietly. "Once it's done, there's no going back. Are you sure you want to be stuck with me in your head?"

"Well, I've been stuck with you this long." Then Sasuke chuckled darkly. "I should ask you...Are you sure you want to be stuck with _me _in your head?" Naruto grimaced slightly. "Look, Naruto, as much as we've talked, fought, cried and bled over the last few months together, I doubt it'll be a big deal. Besides, from a practical point of view, it would be a great tactical advantage if we could feel or hear each other while were on missions. Besides, I'm sure, with time, we can figure out how to block each other out if we need to."

"Ok. If you say so." Naruto nodded to his clone and it put a bowl between them and passed a kunai to Sasuke. He sliced his pale hand and let his blood drip into the bowl. Then Sasuke passed the kunai to Naruto and watched him do the same. Both of them were mesmerized at the sight of their blood mixing together in the bowl. Fascinated, Sasuke watched Naruto's bleeding slow and finally stop as the wound closed, due to his quick healing. He was somewhat envious of the blond for being able to heal so fast.

"Alright, you ready?" Naruto asked. Sasuke grimaced.

"Um, I'm still bleeding here dobe."

"Oh yeah. Heh. I tend to forget sometimes...not everyone heals as fast as me." He had his clone wrap the bleeding hand in a strip of cloth.

"Hn...now I'm ready." Naruto nodded at his clone to continue.

The clone dipped a thin tipped paintbrush in the blood and with slow deliberate strokes, painted the raven on Sasuke's shoulder. Once that was done the clone stepped to the other side and with the same painstaking strokes, designed a small tiger on the tanned skin of Naruto's forearm. While the clone did its work, Naruto outlined the instructions. "Ok, we both will have to do the same hand signs, since both our blood is involved. Also, make sure you think about exactly how you want to look as we do the jutsu."

"Wait, we never finished deciding."

"Yeah we did. Brown hair and light brown eyes. I think we should just act like we're related and look the same."

"Brother and Sister?"

"Wait, who's supposed to be a girl? I'm not being a girl!"

"Who else, dobe. You should be used to it with your sexy jutsu and all. Besides it would probably be a little less suspicious than two brothers. We could have the same hair and eye color, then maybe your nose, a slightly more rounded head than ours. We can both be shorter, especially you."

Naruto pouted. "I hate it when you make sense. Alright, fine. But next time we have to do something like this, you're being the female."

"Hn. I don't think so. Oh, and another thing. Don't make yourself too attention grabbing dobe."

Naruto laughed. He knew what the Uchiha meant. "Ok, ok. No super voluptuous females, got it. Oh, and don't forget I'm going to be out of it for probably about a day. It'll take quite a while for the exhaustion to wear off." The clone dispelled itself when it was finished. "Alright, let's do this! The hand signs will be Kitsune, Rat, Tiger, Boar, Snake. Just follow my lead. Ready?" Sasuke nodded.

Naruto began to slowly make hand signs with Sasuke close behind. By the third sign, their eyes glazed over and they moved in a trance at the exact same pace. After both made the snake sign, they slammed their hands to the ground and yelled out "**Henge bokuga fuuin!**"

Menacing chakra slowly began to seep from the seals in the floor and rise up in an array of purples and blues, slowly swirling around the two. The young men blankly stared into each others eyes for a moment. Then their heads were suddenly thrown back and their mouths opened in silent screams as the whirling chakra sped up like a tornado and howled around them. Neither noticed all the firelight going out from the howling winds.

The characters on the floor and on their skin glowed a bright blue. The slight pain turned into a throbbing ache. Then it became an unquenchable burning fire, especially in the spot where the blood tattoo was drawn. The tattoos glowed red and if the wind hadn't been howling around them, they would've heard their skin sizzling. A few seconds later, when the burning feeling was just getting close to the point of being unbearable, they felt a cooling sensation around the area until the chakra abated and slowly disappeared completely.

The moment the chakra was gone, the room became completely dark.

Both males panted from the exertion. Sasuke came to awareness first with a moan. His body was aching all over. Naruto moaned next, blinking very tired eyes open to nothing but darkness. "Did it work?" He asked weakly.

"Don't know. Too dark to tell." Sasuke mumbled.

"Sasuke?"

"Hmm?"

"I think I'm going to pass out now." Naruto pitched forward - almost in slow motion - and collapsed into Sasuke's arms, which made him fall to the floor. For lack of anything else to do with his hands, Sasuke wrapped his arms around the unconscious blond. He was too exhausted to move and he soon passed out right there.

--

A couple of hours later, Sasuke woke again with a groan. He felt a weight on top of him and was about to push it off when he remembered what had happened. With sore limbs that felt like lead, he slowly sat up, somehow maneuvering Naruto out of his lap and onto the floor. He stood up and stretched, then went about re-lighting the oversized room. He went back his teammate, who was no longer blond and picked him up bridal style, placing him on the bedroll on the other side of the room. Collapsing next to him, Sasuke rolled onto his side and took in Naruto's new appearance, which he assumed was also his own appearance.

Naruto was now paler and the brown hair was flat and straight instead of spiky. His face was more heart shaped like a female's. The body was definitely curvy like a female's, but not overly so. Sasuke was somewhat saddened to know that when the dobe woke up and opened his eyes he would see brown instead of the vibrant blue hue he was so used to. He continued to watch over him, but it wasn't long before the silence and the sound of the rhythmic breathing put Sasuke back to sleep.

Naruto woke up at some point feeling warm and cozy. He looked down and saw an arm wrapped around him. He sighed and a slight smile was on his face. He felt safe, protected, loved. Still exhausted from his work, he yawned and snuggled into the arms that held him, falling back into a deep sleep.

--

When Sasuke woke up for good, Naruto was still sleeping deeply. He didn't even look surprised to find his legs and arms entangled with his friend's. Slowly he disentangled his limbs, then yawned as he sat up. With the firelight as a backdrop, he watched his friend's chest rise and fall as he breathed. A feeling was spreading in his heart and he wasn't sure what it was.

Maybe pride?

The Kyuubi-holder, the dead last that most of the village felt would never amount to anything, had become this powerful ninja. His hand twitched and he raised it, allowing his index finger to lightly trace the tiger tattoo. It was perfect. He then glanced to the side to look at the raven on his shoulder and smiled. He was proud of his best friend. Uzumaki Naruto had proven everyone wrong. He was no longer the village dobe.

In fact, he really wasn't sure exactly when and how it happened. He'd always called Naruto a dobe. At the time it started, it was an insult. He wanted to get a rise out of his rival. But over the last few months, the dobe nickname had become less of an insult and more of an endearment.

He ran his fingers through the dark locks of Naruto's new hair. Left to his own devices while his friend rested, Sasuke had nothing much he could do but watch and think. And in watching the dobe's skills, he couldn't help but wonder...

If he had not been corrupted by Orochimaru's influence, by the cursed seal, by his own violent ambitions, would he have stayed in Konoha?

If it had been Naruto instead of Sakura who stood in the street that fateful night, what would he have done? If Naruto had been the one to confess...well, something...would he have stayed...for him?

Now that he had a clear head, he could look back on the past and see the mistakes he made. He guessed hindsight really was 20/20. He knew the curse seal played a part in making him believe that he needed to leave to get stronger. But he honestly couldn't put all the blame on Orochimaru's curse seal. He was blinded by his own ambition and by his need for swift vengeance instead of having some patience. How else could he possibly think that leaving the village behind would make him stronger?

How could a village that produced some of the strongest kages, a brother who was anbu at 13, a sensei who was considered a genius in his youth and still considered one of the most well known and strongest ninja in Konoha – even if he was lazy, the three sannin, and a member of the twelve ninja guardians be considered weak?

He sighed and closed his eyes.

He really was an idiot to be so blind.

* * *

When Naruto finally woke up for good, Sasuke was engrossed in writing in a scroll. He yawned and stretched his stiff limbs. Looking down after feeling the extra weight, he almost screamed when he saw breasts before he remembered what he'd done so many hours ago. He turned his head and frowned when he heard a chuckle that he knew was at his expense.

"About time you woke up dobe. Oh, and here." He threw a shirt at the boy-turned-girl.

"Thanks. How long have I been out?" Naruto asked without the huskiness in his voice. He now even sounded like a girl. He pulled the shirt over his head and down to cover his now feminine body.

"18 hours or so."

"Ah." His stomach loudly grumbled and he placed his hand over his stomach to try to calm it.

"Here." A bag sailed through the air and landed next to Naruto's hip.

"You ate already?"

"Yeah, a few hours ago. I left the sweet stuff for you. There's an apple in there too."

"Thanks again."

"Hn."

Naruto wolfed down the food like he hadn't eaten in weeks. He sighed in satisfaction after he finished and patted a full belly. Energy filled him and he got up, grabbed his pants and pulled them on. Then he sat next to Sasuke and grabbed a bottle of water.

"That's mine you know."

"Well, you're not drinking it at the moment and I'm thirsty."

"Dobe." Light brown eyes glared at him. The effect wasn't exactly the same.

Naruto, shocked at the color almost forgot about the drink. "Heh. You look weird with brown eyes teme."

"Che…you're the one who looks like a girl now. That's weird."

"Whatever. So what are you writing?" Sasuke gave up on getting his water back. Naruto was chugging it down so fast, one would think he'd been in Suna's deserts for the last couple of days.

"Plans. We need to be prepared and I figured I'd get started while you were asleep."

Naruto read down the list.

"Number one. How to get into Konoha. Check."

"Check?" Sasuke raised the ever present eyebrow.

"Yep. Got that covered."

"Mind enlightening me dobe?"

"I am an honorary citizen of Wave...Under more than one name, thanks to Tazuna. I think a couple of them have the same last name."

"Hn."

Naruto read the second, and third and so on until he had gone through the entire list. Almost everything on the list, Naruto already had plans for except for two things.

"Alright then, since you seem to have everything planned out, where in the world are we going to stay? And how do we get the information we need?" Sasuke asked.

"I say we stay at the one place they'll never look."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He knew what Naruto was thinking. "No."

"But teme..."

"No. I'm not staying there."

"Look, I know you have really awful memories of there, but it's the only place we can go unless you plan on us staying in a hotel until we find everything we're looking for, which would then waste all kinds of time and money."

Sasuke sighed and rubbed his temples. Dammit, he was right. It was about the only place no one would ever go. Even when he was in the village no one dared venture into the haunting compound. Not even anbu.

"Alright fine. But as soon as humanly possible we're getting out of there. I don't understand why they've never bulldozed the place."

"Knowing the stupid council, they're probably hoping you'll come back to Konoha."

"But, to them, I'm a traitor."

"So? You're the last Uchiha. They'd wellcome the only sharingan user left with open arms, end up giving you some kind of light punishment for being a traitor, then would push you to make lots of Uchiha babies to repopulate the clan so you can fill up the entire compound."

"I would say you were being an idiot but, in this case, you're probably correct."

"I wonder how many village girls they'd make you marry?"

_'Oh hell.'_ Sasuke shuddered. "Don't even go there."

Naruto laughed.

--

The next morning they left the outpost behind and began a slow walk towards the village. They had decided on walking like villagers so as not to invite unwanted attention. Before they left, Naruto gave Sasuke one of his fake sets of papers from Wave Country. His name would now be Takahashi Kioshi while Naruto's was Takahashi Akira. They stopped at the first small village along the way and shopped for some normal clothes to fit the part. Naruto now truly looked like a female villager while Sasuke became the typical male.

As they walked, Naruto tried to teach Sasuke to walk like a normal person instead of gliding. The grace of his movements was too regal to be a villager and so effortless yet precise it would automatically identify him as a man with shinobi skills. Naruto had already learned how to walk with a feminine grace, since he'd had to play the part of female more than a few times in his travels. It took Sasuke almost the entire trip to finally pick up a stride that Naruto was satisfied with.

The trees were spreading a bit thin, warning them that they were nearing their old village. Naruto and Sasuke both were quiet as they grew tense at the prospect of entering their old village and seeing people they knew, even if they wouldn't recognize them. When they walked out beyond the treeline and saw the walls of Konoha they both gasped and stopped in shock.

Part of the village was burning.

--

--

_Edited 03/15/2010_

**a/n:** **Henge bokuga fuuin - **Ink Drawn Transformation Seal (yes I made that up)

Please review?

Also, this story is nominated for Fanfic of the Month for November under the Drama category. If you'd like to vote for it the link is in my profile. My other fic, **The Get Itachi Laid Challenge** is nominated for Fanfic of the Month for December under the Humor category. It's in the December thread in the same forum. Thank you all for continuing to read my stories! :)


	20. Truths Revealed

**a/n: **Thank you for your wonderful reviews. Heh, from the way the reviews went I think many of you think I'm going in a certain direction. Well... *grins* Hope you'll enjoy the chapter. ;) I gotta say, it took quite a lot of head pounding and revisions for me to actually like this chapter. XD

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

**Warning: **Spoilers for future manga chapters. I think I'll just keep this warning up from now on, just in case.

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 19 - Truths Revealed  
**

* * *

**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

Naruto blinked.

Sasuke's eyes went wide.

On another day, under better circumstances, they might've found it funny that they both raised their hands at the exact same time to make the hand seal to release the genjutsu they just _knew _they had to be under.

But, nothing changed.

As one, they ran ahead with a sense of urgency...Naruto, who was just about in a panic over his friends, and Sasuke, because he was following Naruto.

They ran through the gates without meeting anyone. No one was at the gates to stop them. And now that they could see inside the village properly, they both gasped at the state of it. Some buildings were burning. Others were destroyed. Panicking villagers ran through the streets. Children cried for their parents. Parents called out to their children. Naruto watched it all and felt horrified.

It was chaos.

The two of them moved toward the heart of the village. The injured and those who didn't make it both lined the streets. Just seeing the helplessness made Naruto want to cry. They ended up stopping more than once along the way to help someone who was injured. Neither Sasuke nor Naruto had run into anyone familiar. The fact that they hadn't was making Naruto even more anxious and he silently prayed that all of his precious people were alive and well.

"Who could have done this?" He asked as the two moved forward again.

"Or maybe what. This is worse than when Orochimaru interrupted the chuunin exams." Sasuke replied.

Tthe Hokage Tower was still standing tall in the short distance. Sasuke stopped.

"What did you stop for?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke stared at the tower for a moment before turning to look at Naruto with a frown. The dobe would be angry at him for what he was thinking. But, they still had a job to do.

"I was thinking."

"Well, you can stand here and think all you want. I'm going to look for my friends."

"Wait." Naruto turned back to his 'brother' with an annoyed look on 'her' face.

"What? I've gotta make sure everyone's ok." Sasuke sighed.

"Look, you're not going to like what I have to say, but it needs to be said anyway. I know this is probably the worst timing ever, but this is the perfect opportunity to get what we want."

"Tell me you aren't going to say what I think you are?"

"You know there's no other option. As wrong as it may be, we need to take advantage of what's going on right now to get what we need. Once things have calmed down and are orderly again, it will be much, much harder." Sasuke remarked.

Naruto opened his mouth to disagree, but nothing came out. He was appalled that Sasuke would even think such a thing at a time like this. He wanted to say no. But damn it all, Sasuke was right. They both knew they would never get a better chance than they would right now. With a sigh and a litany of curses, Naruto responded.

"You're right, this is the worst timing. And I hate that you're callous enough to be willing to do this. And I hate it and feel guilty for agreeing with you. But as much as I hate to admit it, it's the perfect distraction. With all the confusion, no one would ever notice." He glanced away toward another part of the village. "But...what about..."

"I'll do it. You're the only one who can carry out the plan at the tower. So you take care of that and I'll do my best to find out what happened here and make sure everyone's ok."

"Thanks te-" His words got muffled by a hand that slapped over his mouth.

"Idiot! Are you trying to get us caught?" Sasuke glared. Naruto's eyes widened.

"Sorry. I forgot."

"Whatever...Let's just get this over with. We'll meet back up at your old place." Naruto nodded and was about to leave, but Sasuke stopped him and pulled him by the arm until his mouth was close to the blonde-turned-brunette's ear. "Don't get caught...dobe." he whispered. Then he pushed him away. Naruto winked and saluted his friend and disappeared. Sasuke walked on and made his way closer to the heart of Konoha.

* * *

Naruto stood in a hidden corner and watched as a few frantic shinobi ran past him. Sasuke was right. It was complete pandemonium right now. No one seemed to have any kind of handle on security, even in the tower. Of course, that just made things easier for him.

Once they were gone, he headed to the air vent he used to crawl through as a child in order to get in to see the Third without being seen. He examined the size of the vent and grimaced a bit. It seemed so much larger when he was younger. He guessed things always seemed larger than life as a child. But, there was no way in hell his body was going to fit through there now. He put his fingers into the tiger seal and whispered "Henge." The result was a chibi version of his female body. He grinned. _'Now that's more like it.'_

He pulled open the vent and replaced it behind him. Then he began his slow and methodical crawl through the metal maze. It certainly helped that he knew the place by heart. And even if he didn't, as a child he used a permanent marker to mark which room each vent correlated with back when he was too young to remember it all. Fortunately, the marks were still there. So, it only took a few minutes to reach the weapons room.

Removing the vent and dropping through the ceiling with nary a sound, he walked to where he knew he'd find the light switch. He turned on the light, then made a slow turn around the room, quickly looking over shelving and tables. He shook his head at the state of the place. It was a completely disorganized mess. It looked like the room hadn't been touched since the last time he was in there - back when he had stolen the forbidden scroll - which was pretty scary. He spotted a huge chest full of scrolls in the corner and rolled his eyes. The scrolls came in all sizes and some were even on the floor in front of it. This was an embarrassment. If by some chance he did become hokage, he'd order a team to organize this place.

An hour of silent cursing later, he finally found the scroll he was looking for and sealed it into a much smaller scroll that he stuck in his vest pocket. He gave the room one last glance before he leaped back into the vent. There were some nice looking weapons hanging around that he'd love to have a chance to utilize in his lifetime. He'd have to make a visit there again sometime.

He didn't need a sign to tell him what room he would be above next. He spent more time in this room than just about anyone in the village. It was the hokage's office. Peeking through the spaces of the vent, he saw it was empty. He jumped down and went straight to the adjacent room that housed the shinobi records. It was a good thing he had such a good relationship with each hokage over his lifetime. He spent so much time with ojii-san and baa-chan, he eventually learned the seals to unlock the door by heart.

He went straight for the 'U' section of records and latched onto the two Uchiha folders first and then his own. He narrowed his eyes at Itachi's folder. It was way too thin. Considering he was one of the most gifted shinobi in Konoha at the time, there was no way that could be all of it. He opened the folder and looked at the first page.

**Name: Uchiha Itachi**

**Birthdate: June 9**

**Gender: Male**

**Parents: Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto**

**Rank: ANBU, Now S-Class Missing nin***

**Elemental Type: Fire/Water**

And then there were lots of other little notations. But almost all of them had that cryptic asterisk. Naruto frowned and tapped his finger against his chin. The rest of Itachi's records had to be sealed somewhere else. He sighed and opened his own file and perused the information, complete with more asterisks. He let loose a growl of annoyance at the lack of information.

Nothing on his family. Nothing on Itachi. They sure were damn secretive. If he was a betting man, he'd put his whole Gama-chan on his sealed records and Itachi's being in the same spot.

But where?

* * *

Sasuke's wanderings took him to the Konoha Hospital. As he wandered, he took a mental head count of everyone Naruto would probably want to know about. He had already seen Kiba on a much larger Akamaru (Who knew a nin-dog could be the size of a horse?). He made sure to keep his distance from both of them, lest they catch his scent. He wasn't really sure if Naruto's technique masked their scents as well. One couldn't be too careful. Then there was Gai and Lee...couldn't miss those two. He made his way up the stairs and through the glass doors to find the place buzzing with activity. Iruka passed him by...Naruto would be happy to know his father figure was still alive and well. He passed by the waiting room and saw Shikamaru, who looked to be comforting Chouji. He looked away, not wanting to speculate on the reason. Many other chakra signatures assaulted his senses. Some were familiar. One of them was Kakashi's. So, he decided to follow the wavering trail.

"Can I help you?"

Sasuke stopped. He rolled his eyes before turning around to the girl that was sitting at the reception desk. "I'm looking for someone. Hatake Kakashi."

The brown-haired girl looked through the list she had in front of her, mumbling the name to herself. "He was admitted, but I don't have any information on a room yet."

"Do you have any information about what happened to him."

"No. I'm sorry."

_'Well she was completely useless.'_ It took all of his self control not to give the girl a "Hn" and walk away. Last thing he wanted to do was give himself away by doing something so familiar to everyone in Konoha. "Thank you." he mumbled quietly before walking away.

Sasuke walked toward the operating room, hoping to see what was happening. He could feel Kakashi's chakra signature getting weaker by the second. He knew if it was fluctuating like that he had to be in very bad shape.

Along the way, a girl with indigo hair passed him. He almost stopped and turned around to stare at her retreating figure. _'Was that Hinata?'_ If that was her, and he was sure of it, she had become shockingly beautiful. Still not his type, but he hadn't expected her to grow up to be so pretty. In his eyes, she definitely had Ino and Sakura beat.

_'Speaking of Ino...' _ She was attending to a patient as he walked past one of the rooms. He had the sudden urge to shudder and he sped up his pace through the hallway. Finally, he reached the double doors of the operating room. He peeked through the window and saw a group of medics, with the Godaime at the head, working on someone. It wasn't until one of the medics shifted that he saw who was on the operating table.

It was Kakashi.

* * *

Sakura and Sai ran quickly toward the gates. Sakura's eyes were wide with horror at the state of the village. She stopped almost immediately after they got inside the gates, unsure of whether to head to the hospital, knowing she would be needed, or to head to the tower to report to the hokage first. Sai took the decision out of her hands.

"We should go report first." Sai said, not knowing of the internal debate he had just solved.

Sakura nodded and then followed him to the hokage tower.

"What could have happened? Is this why Kakashi was called back?" she asked.

Sai looked over at the distressed kunoichi. She really hadn't had much luck the last few days. First they almost got killed, only to be saved by her ex teammates, only for them to give her the slip. And now they were back in Konoha, only to find the village had undergone some kind of attack while they were away.

"More than likely." he replied.

They ran into the hokage tower, bypassing some ninja in the hallway, and headed to the hokage's office. Upon reaching it, she took a few calming breaths with her hand on the handle and prepared to push the door open.

"Sakura-san!"

* * *

Naruto was getting more frustrated by the minute. He'd searched everywhere in the records, everywhere in the hokage's office, even in the midst of the old hag's stash of sake. He was getting nowhere fast.

Unfortunately, he didn't realize his time was just about to run out.

He heard loud footsteps going through the hallway and getting closer to the door. His female eyes went wide. There wasn't enough time to get back into the vent. He looked back and forth for a place to hide. He saw the handle turn...

_"Sakura-san!"_

_Dammit! Of all the people to show up, did it have to be her?_ Naruto looked frantically for a hiding place, finally going under Tsunade's desk and praying she wouldn't notice him...er her. He listened to the muffled conversation behind the door.

_"Tsunade-sama isn't here. She's at the hospital."_

_"How bad is it?"_

_"There's more injuries than the medics there can handle."_

_"Alright, I'm going over there now."_

The footsteps went away. Naruto let out a breath he was holding. He scrambled out from under the desk and stood up. Time was growing short. He couldn't stay here much longer without the threat of someone coming. _Now, where could those files be?_ He closed his eyes and tried to relax so he could focus on how to solve his current problem. When he opened them, just by chance, his blue eyes met another similar set directly across from him. It was a picture of the Yondaime that had adorned this office for as long as he could remember. He slowly closed the distance, staring at the eyes that were only a shade lighter than his, the hair spiked just like his, the grin that seemed a bit like his as well. He bit his lip, again struggling with the idea that this man in this very picture might be, or most likely was (there's no way he could deny the resemblance in front of him), his father.

And then he thought about something.

Why is this picture the only one in the room? Why not any of the other hokages?

His eyes narrowed. With slightly shaking fingers, he pushed the picture to the side. He gasped when he saw what was behind it.

A seal.

He stared at it for a while. It wasn't a very difficult one. Obviously it was not the Yondaime's. He would've created something almost impossible to crack. Maybe it was one of the Sandaime's. He lifted the picture off the wall and examined the seal further. It was a blood seal...that could make things a bit tricky. Maybe, by some miracle, his blood would open it. He took a deep breath, then he bit his thumb and brushed the bloody appendage over the seal. He waited a few seconds and crossed his fingers.

Nothing happened.

_Crap!_

* * *

Sasuke wondered what he should do. Obviously, he couldn't get any answers from Kakashi right now. He could try Hinata, but he figured if she became suspicious at all, she would use her byakugan and he really wasn't sure how fullproof this henge was against the Hyuuga doujutsu. He couldn't risk being detected.

"Excuse me...coming through! Out of the way!"

Sasuke moved out of the way of the loud voice and saw a speeding flash of pink and red. _'Sakura?'_

He watched a moment longer and saw her talk with the hokage. Then he sighed and moved away. He wouldn't find anything else out today, not with all the confusion. He didn't trust asking anyone else besides Kakashi. But at least he could give Naruto a report on many of his friends. So, for now, he decided to go to their designated meeting place.

He walked back toward the entrance. It was only when he was about to walk out the door that he heard a snippet of conversation.

Black capes...red clouds...

* * *

Naruto was feeling like even the gods were against him. He was positive that the two biggest secrets of Konoha were hidden behind that seal.

So dammit, why wasn't anything happening? He would scream if he didn't already know for sure that ANBU would rain down on him within seconds.

Suddenly, there was a strange hum. He looked back at the seal and watched as it began to glow a blue hue. He watched as the tiny characters slowly switched positions within the circular pattern. Upon the last one moving into its space, a section of the wall disappeared.

He tentatively stretched out his hand toward the square hole that appeared. When he was certain his fingers weren't about to be burnt to a crisp for reaching into a place it didn't belong – or who knows, maybe it did...his blood did open it after all – he reached inside. One by one, he pulled out the various items - three sealed scrolls and a small wooden box. He wanted to open them now and make sure it was what he was looking for, but after his almost run-in with Sakura, he didn't want to take the chance of getting caught. So, taking them all, he pulled out his last scroll and sealed them inside. Unfortunately, he didn't know how to put the seal back in place. He really hoped no one would notice anything was missing for a while.

He placed the picture back in its place and covered the hole, unwilling to look at the similar face anymore out of some form of guilt. It was a paradox. He felt guilty for stealing something that most likely was meant for him anyway. How crazy was that? Naruto chuckled inwardly and then leaped back up into the air duct.

It was time to catch up with Sasuke.

* * *

Sasuke looked up at the abandoned building that used to house Naruto's apartment. It was completely understandable that the place was abandoned. It looked like it was practically falling apart back when Naruto lived there. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the brick wall to wait for his "sister." Some pieces of brick immediately crumbled upon impact and fell to the ground. He began to wonder if, just maybe, leaning against the dilapidated building wasn't such a good idea.

A brown haired girl bounced excitedly towards him. He waited until 'she' stopped in front of him with a bright smile.

Sasuke detatched himself from the wall, jarring loose some more rubble. "Well?"

"It wasn't too bad." Naruto said with a shrug. "It took a while, but I think I found what we needed."

"What do you mean you think?"

"Well, it's not like I had time to examine them. I came close to being detected as it was."

"Hn."

"Well? What about you?"

"I'll tell you when we're not out in the open."

"So...where to?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Well, you did say we should stay in the one place no one would ever look. Might as well see if the place is still standing."

Naruto grinned and nodded in acceptance. Sasuke took Naruto's hand and transported them both directly into his former residence.

* * *

Sakura sat in the hallway with her head in her handswhile she waited for her sensei. She was still in shock from the state of her village. Add to that she had worked all day and evening on people with countless injuries. When she finally thought she was could take a break for a while, she found out about Kakashi. Tsunade wouldn't let her help so she did nothing but sit and worry. When the worry became to much for her to sit, she paced. A couple of hours went by and there were some moments that she was afraid Kakashi wouldn't make it. But, at last, he pulled through. Now exhaustion was setting in and she wanted to do nothing but sleep.

But still, she waited. Finally, she heard the familiar click of a pair of heels. She didn't have to look up to know who adorned those shoes.

Tsunade, who looked even more weary than Sakura did, sighed and sat next to her student and closed her eyes. Sakura raised her head and looked to the side at the exhausted looking hokage.

"What happened while I was gone?" she asked.

The Godaime didn't even bother to open her eyes and look at Sakura as she answered, "Akatsuki."

"They were looking for Naruto?" Sakura asked.

Tsunade nodded her head. The younger of them sighed dejectedly.

"I saw him, you know." Tsunade's eyes popped open.

"You did? Where?"

"We found him right outside of Suna. Or maybe I should say he found us. Saved us from a huge group of missing nins and bandits actually."

"Well then what are you doing here?" The blonde saw her student's green eyes dull slightly and immediately understood what had occurred. "Ah...he gave you the slip huh?"

Sakura nodded sadly. "And...Sasuke...He was with him." If she expected a loud reaction from Tsunade, she was surprised. "You knew?"

"Yeah. Well, I didn't know for sure. I suspected from what Naruto said in one of his letters to me. Those two always did have something strange together."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Nothing Sakura. You've had a long day, in addition to a long journey. You should go home and get some rest."

"Ok." The pinkette stood with another yawn and stretched. She didn't even argue, which was a testament to how tired she was. "Goodnight shishou."

Tsunade watched her pupil walk away. Although she didn't say so, she was glad Naruto had left her behind. She couldn't have saved so many without her. Getting up and stretching herself, she walked slowly back to her office in the tower.

* * *

Instead of staying in the house proper, Sasuke pulled Naruto toward a stairway that went down into the ground.

"Stairs again? Why does this scenario seem familiar?"

"Hn."

"Does your family have a fetish for underground dungeons or something?"

"Quiet or I'll leave you here to find your way in the dark."

"Whatever teme."

Down they went into the darkness. Naruto, once again, allowed himself to be led. When they reached the bottom, Sasuke lit a torch and took it with them down a hallway until they reached a door. He took an old key and unlocked the door pushing it open with a loud squeak of protest from years of disuse. On the other side of the door was a huge room, much like the outpost, but different. Sasuke slowly went around the room lighting candles, while Naruto stood waiting at the entrance, staring as the room slowly brightened.

He truly began to see how ornate the room really was. Tile covered the floor and although there was, as always, an insane amount of clan symbols, it was done a bit more tastefully. A couple of couches and some chairs were interspersed throughout and a long table was at the end of the room.

"This was where the clan meetings were always held." Sasuke interrupted Naruto's thoughts. "They wanted to make sure no one unaffiliated with the clan would be able to overhear, so they set up an underground meeting room."

"Ah." Naruto couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment.

"We'll be staying here. No one can detect any chakra down here. We'll have to go up into the house to shower or cook, but as long as we don't need lighting, and we hide our chakra, no one will notice we're here at all."

That made sense. It felt strange to Naruto, though. He was now privy to so many secrets of the Uchiha clan. He wondered if all clans had secret meeting rooms and outposts like this.

"Do you plan on dawdling in the doorway all day or are you going to settle in?" Naruto looked up at the raised brow of his friend and glared weakly. Sasuke chuckled, but he knew something was eating him.

"What's wrong dobe?"

"Nothing...just thinking." He walked over to one of the chairs and flopped down in it with a sigh. Then he pulled the scrolls that held the stolen items from his pocket. Sasuke understood as soon as he saw what Naruto held in his hand.

"You're worried..." Sasuke walked up behind Naruto's chair and put his hands on the tense shoulders, "...about what you'll find." He squeezed the tense shoulders then rubbed his fingertips up and along Naruto's scalp. He heard Naruto's sigh and watched the shoulders slowly relax just a bit. He kept up the light massage as he talked. "You're not the only one. But at least this time I'm not alone. And neither are you." He ran his fingers through the soft locks once more before pulling his hand away and sitting in the chair next to him. He ignored the question that was in his head of how and why he'd become so touchy-feely with the dobe lately. "Whatever we find, we'll deal with it together." He watched the slight smile stretch across the tanned face and gave him a resolute nod.

"Alright then..." Naruto, while still tense, had his determined face back on. "Let's start with what you found."

"Hn. The first person I saw was Kiba with Akimaru, then Gai and Lee on their way to the hospital. At the hospital I passed by Iruka, who looked to be fine, before you interrupt and ask." Naruto, who already had his mouth open to speak, closed it. "Then I saw Shikamaru with Chouji in the waiting room. I don't know who they were waiting for, though." Naruto nodded.

"Also, Ino, Hinata - she looks good, by the way-"

"Wait...you noticed a _girl_?"

"Shut up dobe. Oh, and I saw Tsunade-sama and that woman who's always with her. They were in the operating room."

"That's good, at least I know they're ok. Oh, and Sakura and Sai are back."

"Yeah, I saw Sakura running into the operating room. Also..."

"What?"

"Kakashi...he's hurt badly."

"How bad?" He asked quietly.

"He was in surgery when I saw him. It didn't look good."

"...oh."

Sasuke decided now was not the time to tell him Akatsuki was the cause. He needed more information first. Besides, they had enough to concentrate on already without adding another thing to the list.

Anyway, it wasn't like Akatsuki was going anywhere and the last thing they wanted to do was go into a situation completely unprepared. So, he reached over to pull the scrolls from a preoccupied Naruto's hand. Naruto started and looked at Sasuke blankly before blinking himself back into awareness.

"Sorry...blanked out there." He gave a half-hearted chuckle and bit his thumb and smeared the blood to break the seal on the two scrolls. With a puff of smoke the scrolls revealed its contents. He picked up the two scrolls that were enclosed, then he kept one for himself and passed the other one to Sasuke, who examined the scroll and noticed the Sandaime's broken waxed seal along the edge. "Oh, also, you'll probably want to read this too." He plopped the Uchiha files on Sasuke's lap.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Gee...thanks dobe." He opened the scroll first, only to be surprised by the appearance of a second scroll. He looked at Naruto and raised a brow. Naruto shrugged and they both turned their attention to the opened scroll.

_If you're reading this, you must be taking on the responsibility of leading this village into the unknown future. _

_This letter is to inform you of an SS-class secret that is only known to myself and the council. This information is regarding the events surrounding the massacre of the Uchiha Clan. The clan's history, of course, goes beyond the beginnings of the village of Konoha. Their ambition for power were well known and it eventually caused a rift between the Uchiha and Konoha. The clan, throughout history, had been unhappy with their position in Konoha. During those last few years, their dissatisfaction came to a head. For months, I diligently tried to reach an agreement with the Uchiha clan, to keep them from causing some sort of revolt, but negotiations continually faltered. However, an opportunity to prevent such a revolt came in the form of a young man by the name of Uchiha Itachi. He was a very gifted member of the clan and was an Anbu Captain. The council felt it was an opportunity they could not pass up. So they approached him with an S-class mission – to spy on his clan. He agreed to do so. For months, he relayed all information regarding the clan's activities. Enclosed in a separate scroll is all the information that was gathered by Uchiha Itachi.  
_

_I continued to negotiate with them, to no avail. Finally, it reached a point of no return. The council decided that the threat would need to be eliminated - every member of the Uchiha clan would be sacrificed - __for the good of all Konoha__. I was against the idea, but the vote was final. I had no recourse but to comply. Uchiha Itachi, despite my misgivings, agreed to carry out the mission._

_After completing his mission, he returned to my office. I outlined what his new mission would be, since he would no longer be able to stay in Konoha. As part of his mission, he would be labeled a missing nin and would use his new status to infiltrate a group called Akatsuki. The group is rumored to be looking for the tailed beasts for their own nefarious purposes. He would, once again, act as a spy and relay any and all information to Konoha through an agent I see fit._

_He agreed to all terms and requested only one thing. That the actual circumstances behind the massacre be concealed from his only living relative, his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke. Despite my reservations, I agreed to his request. I only hope that this action will not come back to haunt us all in the future._

_The will of fire now rests in your hands. Let it burn brightly.  
_

_Sarutobi __Hiruzen_

_Sandaime Hokage_

Sasuke sighed. So Madara had been telling the truth. He was twisting things, though, to his own favor. Naruto had his chin in his hand. "I don't understand... Why would Itachi want to hide everything from you?"

"I don't know. Maybe he thought I was too young to understand. Or maybe he thought it would be better if I thought well of my family. Or maybe as I said before, he wanted to die by my hand one day just so he would no longer have to deal with the guilt." He closed his eyes for a moment and ran his hand down his face. "It's like he orchestrated my life by using this elaborate plan to push me in a certain direction."

"Except, I don't think he planned on you being so angry that you'd look outside Konoha for power to avenge him."

"Hn."

Sasuke unrolled the second scroll. Naruto closed his eyes and balanced on the back legs of his chair. He figured since the information was a bit more personal, he'd give Sasuke the chance to read it first.

So he didn't see the Uchiha's brows furrow or his dark eyes narrow more and more with every line he read.

"Naruto."

"Hmm?"

"Do you ever remember any Uchiha being after you as a child?"

Naruto didn't even open an eye. "Teme, _everyone_ was after me as a child. I really didn't have a chance to take note of each one of my tormentors." Sasuke stomped down a hint of regret at the question and thrust the scroll at him.

"Read this." Naruto opened one eye.

"Why don't you just tell me what it says."

"Che...lazy ass. Fine. It seems that you were the main topic of conversation in many of my clan's meetings."

Naruto was back upright in a heartbeat with both eyes open. "Damn my curiosity." He muttered while grabbing the scroll.

"Hn."

Naruto began to read. As he moved further and further through the notes, he began to feel a strange sense of guilt welling up inside him. "I...I was the cause...of everything."

"Dobe." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Don't start feeling guilty for something that had nothing to do with you."

"But-"

"You caused nothing. The blame lies with the clan, not you. They were going to use whatever they could in order to get the power they wanted. It just happened that you and your tenant were the perfect tool for them to use to carry out their plans. What happened was inevitable Naruto. If not you, it would've been something or someone else."

Naruto didn't say anything. He knew Sasuke was right, but he couldn't help how he felt. So he kept reading. Itachi was slowly turning into an amazing enigma in his eyes. He couldn't imagine what it had to be like to betray your entire family. The man had willingly given up his life for the future of the village. He was seriously starting to wish now that he hadn't been so blind the last time he saw Itachi.

Itachi hadn't fought him at all. He had just wanted to talk to him.

"You know we met right before you fought each other."

Sasuke looked up from the file he was reading and raised a brow.

"Yeah. He kept saying he only wanted to talk to me. I didn't believe him. While he had me in his illusion, he started asking me all this stuff about you. Why I cared so much about you. What I would do if you attacked Konoha. Could I choose between you and Konoha? At the time, I didn't understand why he would ask me all that. But now, I think he was testing me."

"Testing you? Why would he do that?"

Naruto shrugged. "You tell me. You seem to understand him better than I do."

"Yeah right. I never understood my brother."

"I don't know teme...maybe since he knew he was going to die, he wanted to make sure someone who cared about you would still be looking out for you, no matter what. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he almost smiled at me when I told him that I would protect Konoha _and _find a way to save you."

"Che...like I would need saving from a dead last like you."

Naruto punched Sasuke on the arm with a glare. "Bastard. If you'd have been stupid enough to go off with your relative, you would have. You know, it was weird...he kind of..." Naruto winced at how stupid he was about to sound, "force fed me a crow..."

He chanced a side glance at his friend and grimaced. Sasuke was giving him a look of sheer incredulity.

"No teme, I haven't lost it. I'm serious...strange as it sounds. Well okay, seriously, it _was_ an illusion. So, I'm assuming I didn't actually swallow a crow. He said he gave me some of his power and that he hoped I'd never have to use it. Dammit, I had such a one track mind then. I should've let him talk. At least I could've asked what the heck I'm supposed to do with this extra bit of power. Jeez...only I could have three different forms of chakra running through my body." Sasuke stopped Naruto's sudden tangent.

"He gave you his power?" His eyes widened slightly. He almost died by his brother's hand and he wasn't even at full strength? And he even gave him the mangekyou sharingan with his dying breath. _'How powerful was Itachi really?'_

He was starting to feel like Naruto. He wished that he had taken the time to talk to Itachi when he had the chance. There was so much he wanted to know now. Well, hindsight certainly does suck.

"Well dobe, we now know the story of my life. So, I guess it's your turn."

"Huh?" Sasuke nodded to the other two scrolls. Naruto groaned. He wanted to know and yet, he didn't. He took a deep breath and braced himself as he picked up the one sealed by the Sandaime first. Breaking the seal and slowly unrolling it, he was surprised to find it was for him.

_Naruto,_

_I write this as an explanation and an apology. You are like my own grandson and it hurt me to have to lie to you about your parents. It was for your own protection that the information I will reveal in this letter was kept from you. _

_It is true that your parents died during the Kyuubi attack. However, I neglected to tell you who they were and how they died. You may be quite surprised to learn that your father was the one person you idolized growing up. His name was Namikaze __Minato__. He was the Yondaime Hokage. Your mother's name was Uzumaki __Kushina__. She was from Whirlpool Country. Your father, of course, died when the Kyuubi was sealed. However, he left you knowing that you would be in good hands with your mother. Unfortunately, in the chaos of the attack, the wing of the hospital she was in collapsed and she died as well. He never knew. _

_As you know from your studies, your father was very powerful. He accomplished much in his young age, but he also made many enemies. In order to protect you, I made the decision to keep his identity a secret, not just from the village, but from you, as well. It's also why I gave you your mother's name. The council does not even know who you are, although some may suspect your roots._

_Your father wished for you to have a happy normal life. He asked that you be declared a hero for taking on such a burden. However, as you know, the village did not abide by his last request. I beg your forgiveness for the way you've been treated by such narrow minded individuals. I wish I could have done more for you, but I was an old fool who no longer had the strength to fight as I should have._

_Yet, despite it all, you've never held any ill will against Konoha. You have made me proud Naruto...of your strength, your courage, your compassion, and of course, your will of fire. These qualities are what makes a great leader. I know that one day you will surpass all of us, even your father._

_Everything else regarding your parents you will find in the second scroll and the box. Just remember, no matter what, you are a Namikaze and an Uzumaki. Both of them were strong and had the will of fire. They are your legacy. Make us proud._

_Sarutobi __Hiruzen_

_Sandaime Hokage_

A few tears leaked from Naruto's eyes and he wiped them with the arm of his shirt. He really did miss the old man, even if he did feel a bit betrayed at being lied to. He sighed. Sasuke nudged him out of his melancholy thoughts and handed him the second scroll.

Naruto took it with a slight smile and bit his thumb, smearing his blood over the seal. The scroll popped open, bringing with it a poof of smoke, before everything went dark.

Naruto opened his eyes to complete darkness. For a brief moment, he thought the Kyuubi might have pulled him into his mind, until he remembered the fox really didn't have enough power to do that anymore, nor was this a sewer. It was just dark.

In the distance he saw a glow. He stood up and slowly walked toward the light, feeling like he was in a dream. When he finally reached the light at the proverbial end of the tunnel, he found out it wasn't a light at all.

It was a man.

A man with blond hair, blue eyes, bright smile, white coat with flames...

It was _him_.

"So, we finally meet my son."

_Edited 03/16/2010_

**a/n:** Now all of you can breathe a sigh of relief. I didn't kill Kakashi! So I'm sure you're probably wondering how the heck Naruto is meeting a dead man. Well, you'll find out soon. Thanks for reading. Reviews are always appreciated and snuggled with love. :) Until next time!


	21. Father and Son

**a/n: **Well everyone, here's your Christmas present. My muse was being so cooperative when I wrote the last chapter that I ended up starting on the next chapter as well. And after everyone screamed about me leaving you with such an evil cliffhanger, I had to finish it for you before the holiday. Oh, and a big THANK YOU!!! Your reviews always make my day. This story wouldn't be what it is without you. I swear there are times when I come up with an idea in my head and I just feel like everyone's gonna be scratching their heads and saying "yeah that Sesshy's gone off the deep end now." But then once I post it, you like it. Hmm…maybe I should stop second guessing myself. (which I have to admit I've done that about 50 times on this new chapter.)

I don't know if this idea (at least the way I'm having it happen) has been done before or not. But I think this little confrontation is something that needs to happen. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

**Warning: **Spoilers for future manga chapters. I think I'll just keep this warning up from now on, just in case.

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 20 - Father and Son  
**

* * *

--

**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

--

When the poof of smoke cleared, Naruto was out cold on the floor. Sasuke scrambled over to him and shook him lightly. "Naruto...Hey, Naruto."

He smacked him lightly a couple of times. "Naruto!" His heartbeat sped up. He wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't risk taking him to the hospital and exposing who they were. Besides, he didn't even know what was wrong. He hated not being in control.

"What the hell was in that scroll?" he muttered as he reached for the scroll that had fallen next to Naruto. He turned on his sharingan and looked at the contents. The characters were glowing. So somehow the seal had activated. But for what purpose? He tried to remember what Naruto had told him about seals. But nothing was coming to mind that could help in this situation.

He stared a moment longer at the glowing seal before he looked back at his friend. He took a deep breath and let it out. He needed to stay calm and think. It was opened with Naruto's blood, which meant it couldn't have been tampered with. He glanced at the seal on the scroll again. The Yondaime was a sealmaster after all. Maybe he planned something for when Naruto found out the truth.

He sighed and rubbed his temples. Just thinking about it was giving him a headache.

Sasuke finally decided he'd give it a day. Any longer and he'd have to consider taking him to the hospital.

Stupid dobe...making him worry.

* * *

In the distance Naruto saw a glow. He stood up and slowly walked toward the light, feeling like he was in a dream. When he finally reached the light at the proverbial end of the tunnel, he found out it wasn't a light at all.

It was a man.

Blond hair, blue eyes, bright smile, white coat with flames...

It was _him_.

"So, we finally meet my son."

Naruto's mouth dropped open. He pinched himself, but the image was still there. _'Genjutsu?'_ He tried to break it, to no avail. He warily stayed back, his eyes narrowed on the figure in front of him. "Hell no...this can't be," He mumbled to himself. His eyes widened at hearing his normal voice again and not that of a female. He looked down and saw his appearance was back to normal.

"Don't worry, I'm real. Well, about as real as a shadow clone can be." Naruto shook his head vigorously.

"That's not possible. The Yondaime is dead. There's no way a shadow clone could live without chakra."

"So true, but here I am." He gave a small bow and a grin.

Naruto clenched his hands into fists at his sides. His emotions were spiraling out of control. This couldn't be real. This had to be a joke. Whatever this was, he was not amused. "I don't know how you brought me here, but whoever you are, cut the crap and let me go."

"Naruto, you know as well as I do that this is no joke. Your blood brought you here. That should be proof enough." Naruto's shoulders stiffened at that. "And I could let you out of this, but then you'd never get your questions answered would you?"

Naruto's temper immediately flared and he growled at the man who stood before him. "You're an illusion, why should I bother?"

"Because you're my son. I thought you'd like to meet me."

"Well maybe you thought wrong!" He snapped in reply. With a sigh he ran his hand through his hair and started pacing. "Why are you here? What do you want from me?" The Yondaime gave him a smile.

"I wanted you to have the chance to get to know me. And...I...well, I thought I could get to know you as well."

Naruto closed his eyes. Once upon a time, this would've been a dream come true – to meet and talk to the Yondaime. But now...

He wanted this to be a trick. He really did... He knew it wasn't. And he really wasn't too sure how he felt about it. He was torn between being happy and being pissed off enough to punch him. But he was afraid the clone would disappear. The truth is, his father was right...he wanted answers.

But how could he pull something like this off? The man had been dead for 18 years. The shadow clone should have ceased to exist the moment he died. As much as he might be angry and confused about being here, he was still a sucker for a new jutsu. His curiosity needed to be sated. "How did you do this?" he muttered.

The older blond tilted his head to the side much like Naruto did so often. "Do what?"

"THIS!" He gestured at him and threw his arms out to the sides to indicate their indistinct location and the supposed shadow clone, "How did you do it? You're dead! You shouldn't be here. How is this possible?"

Minato crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. "Oh, just a little trick I came up with. You see, I sealed enough chakra, along with the right seals, for one shadow clone to appear in this place the very moment you use your blood to unseal the scroll. This clone has every memory of mine and enough chakra for a full 24 hours."

Naruto's eyes widened at the ingenious idea. He was going to have to try that one day. "So...what is this place?" he asked, unable to mask the wonder in his voice.

"Not sure really. I didn't have enough time to conjure up some great place in my head, so this is what we get I guess. Sorry if it's too boring." The Yondaime clone shrugged nonchalantly like it wasn't a big deal and took a seat on what was assumed to be a floor. It was too dark to tell. Yet, somehow the two blonds could see each other perfectly, almost as if there was a spotlight on the two of them alone. He stretched his long legs before crossing them and relaxing. "Anyway, you and I have the next 24 hours here to do whatever we want. You can ask me anything you want. And I can get to know you a bit, as well." Naruto frowned and looked away.

"Che...Like it would really matter? I mean, it's not like the real you will get the memories of this when you disappear."

"Are you sure about that?" Minato asked with a grin. Naruto leaned his head to the side and scratched his head in confusion. What the hell was this man on? He knew better than anyone how clones worked since it was practically his signature move. Where were the memories supposed to go when the person was already dead?

"You do know you're dead right? There's no head for the memories to go back to." Naruto sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. This whole not-so-happy reunion was giving him a headache.

"Well, if you want to be _technical _about it, I'm not actually dead. I'm just forever stuck in the shinigami's stomach."

"Same difference." Naruto mumbled.

"Not really. You haven't studied shinigami much have you?"

"Oh sure, that's right up there with my study of demons since you _sealed one inside me_." Naruto replied sarcastically.

The older blond nodded. That was what he was waiting for. It didn't take much time for him to figure out that his son held some resentment that needed to be dealt with. He could see it in the way the teen looked at him. He sighed. "Look, I can understand your resentment..."

"Like hell you can!" Naruto yelled and glared daggers at the man. "You don't know a thing about me. You never saw my life. You have no idea what I've gone through because you weren't there. Don't talk to me like you know me. You have _no clue_ what I had to deal with because of the Kyuubi. "

"Naruto..."

"DON'T! The worst part of it is I didn't even get a choice. You placed this...this burden on me and expected me to live with it. Then, somehow in your convoluted brain, you dreamed up this whole happy-go-lucky scenario of everyone in Konoha treating me like a normal human being. These same people who had just watched their leader die....these people who had lost their families, their friends and teammates, and their homes to that demon...and yet you somehow expected them to see ME, who said demon was sealed into, as a hero, just because you asked them to? What the hell were you thinking?!"

Minato sighed sadly and looked down. He had always hoped the village would abide by his wishes that he had left through Sarutobi. But he knew the possibility existed that, despite his wishes, things would not go that way. Well, he knew the truth now...obviously Naruto wasn't treated as well as he hoped. He hated knowing his son's life hadn't been a happy one.

"You're angry. You have every right to be. But please, allow me the chance to explain. I'll tell you everything. But, you'll have to be willing to listen. That's all I ask. Alright?"

Naruto sighed and paced a few seconds before finally taking a seat on the floor with his arms crossed. "Fine."

"Ok then." He took a deep breath and let it out, readying himself for an interrogation. "Ask away."

"Why?" Minato didn't have to ask him to elaborate. He wasn't surprised that was the first question Naruto would ask.

"I didn't have a choice."

Naruto snorted. "Of course you had a choice. There's always another choice, you just didn't take it."

"Son, you have to understand. Time was short. There were very few options available. You've felt, to some extent, the Kyuubi's power. Even with every ninja in the village, we had no chance of defeating it. The village was being destroyed, people were dying all around me. It was supposed to be one of the happiest times of my life, being there for the birth of my son. Instead, I was doing my duty. Despite how I might have felt, I had the responsibility of keeping Konoha safe. I had a duty to fulfill."

"Even if it meant sacrificing your own son and abandoning him?"

"It sounds callous, but yes."

"But why me?"

"I have a feeling that, deep down, you already know the answer to that. The old man would've told you that much, even if he didn't tell you anything else." He was right. He watched the younger blond's shoulders slump. Minato's eyes filled with sorrow. "Naruto, you have no idea how hard I tried - _we_ tried - to find something different. We poured over every bit of research at our disposal from the moment the Kyuubi first appeared outside of Konoha. But, in the end, there was no other way. The only thing that had a chance was the Shiki Fuujin seal and the Hakke no Fuuin Shiki technique. I hated it, but there was nothing else that would work. Maybe if I had been given more time, who knows.... And, as you know, you were the only child born that day."

There was a moment of silence as Naruto digested the information. Minato silently watched and waited. He knew that Naruto wasn't done.

"If you could have, would you have...used someone else?" Naruto asked softly as he looked into the blue eyes that so closely matched his own. Sadly, he saw the answer reflected in the man's eyes before he ever heard the answer.

"No."

Naruto was silent as he looked down into his lap.

"Let me explain it this way. I want you to think of all of your friends, whoever they are. Think of every single one of them by name."

Naruto thought of Sasuke, Sakura, and the rest of his friends.

"Now imagine they have children of their own or are about to have a child. Imagine you are about to be a parent yourself. Could you take their child away? Could you seal a dangerous demon inside their child? Would you really be able to walk up to your closest friend and ask them to give up their child for the greater good of the village and not be willing to do the same?"

Naruto closed his eyes. He thought of Kurenai-sensei who already had a child. He thought of Sakura and Lee…Kiba and Hinata. Even Sasuke. Could he really ask any one of them to give up their child? Any anger he still had left toward his father deflated at the thought. There was no way...His honor wouldn't allow it. When he finally opened his eyes and looked at his father, it was with a different perspective.

"You understand now?" Naruto slowly nodded. "I could never be so selfish as to ask someone to make that kind of sacrifice for the sake of having the life that I wanted. No matter how much I might have looked forward to being a father, watching you grow up, training with you, I couldn't ask someone else to hand over their child. For what it's worth...I'm sorry. I wish I could've been there for you. But at least you had your mother to watch over you."

Naruto gasped, instantly reminded of what the Sandaime had written. He didn't know. Naruto was suddenly thrust into the role of the bearer of bad news.

"No...I didn't." Older blue eyes went wide in shock.

"What?" he whispered.

"She...she died..."

Minato bit his lip much like Naruto does at times. "When?"

Naruto looked away. He almost didn't want to tell the man the truth. He knew how Minato would feel. It's what he had just felt himself when he found out the truth about the Uchiha clan.

Guilty.

"The same night."

Minato closed his eyes and tried to calm his shaking hands. "...No." Immediately, he felt such overwhelming guilt. If he wasn't already dead, he would've wanted to die. "No wonder you hated me. It's my fault...I should've protected her...I should've-"

"Stop." A hand closed over his clenching one. He looked up to see his son kneeling directly in front of him.

"It's no use feeling guilty over something you had no control over." Naruto started. He then shrugged and smiled softly. "Words of wisdom I just got from a friend a while ago."

"Naruto-"

"And I don't hate you. I never did."

Father and son stared into each others eyes. In that one moment, everything was forgiven. The same way Naruto forgave the Sandaime for not telling him the truth. The same way he constantly forgave the villagers for their blind hatred.

Minato shifted to his knees. Then he finally did the one thing he had always wished to do, but thought he would never be able to. He slowly wrapped his arms around his nearly adult son. But nothing prepared him for how he felt when strong arms hesitantly wrapped around him as well.

Neither one was sure who let out the first sob.

But it led to apologies, tears, and finally, smiles as father and son connected. When both of them were calm and collected again, Minato made himself comfortable, this time with his son at his side. Both of them had matching blushes for the tearful display.

He propped his elbows on his knees and put his chin in his hands. "You know, there was another reason I chose you to carry this burden. You were...are...my son. You're a Namikaze and an Uzumaki. I knew you would be strong...and stubborn. If anyone would have the strength to deal with adversity, it would be you Naruto. Was I wrong?"

Naruto shook his head. Sure, it had been difficult at times, he'd had to deal with the jeers, of being held back, and had to play the idiot. There were many tears of sorrow and frustration, but he had never allowed anyone or anything to break him completely.

"I had planned on Kushina being alive to take care of you when I was gone. I never thought you would end up alone."

"What was she like?" Naruto crossed his legs and placed his elbows on them to prop up his face, much like a child about to hear a story. At that moment, father and son looked like mirror images.

"Your mother was beautiful, smart, funny, loud, brash. A total tomboy. But she had a heart of gold. She always wanted to help people. Did I mention she was stubborn? She turned me down for weeks before she finally relented and went out with me. But after that night, I knew there was no one else for me. She was my soulmate. She had the most beautiful red hair. When she was pregnant with you, she let it grow out. It fell down her back to her waist and I loved running my hands through every inch of it. We were so excited when we found out we were going to be parents. I used to talk to you every night in her stomach. We had gotten the whole nursery set up...painted it blue. She was always coming back with more baby clothes. She had laughed at me when I was having trouble putting the crib together..."

Naruto smiled at the thought of being loved by two parents. A tear he didn't even notice slowly trickled down his cheek. He wasn't just some no-name orphan anymore. He had a family...A family that loved him.

"You might look like me, but just in the short time you've been here, I see her in you. In your smile...your stubborn nature. You're loud and boisterous just like her. And you definitely have her temper." Minato chuckled at that. "She was a hell of a ninja. I bet you're probably quite a shinobi yourself with both of our genes."

Naruto grinned. He was happy to know he had some characteristics of both of his parents.

"So what about you son? Tell me about yourself."

The smile turned a bit strained. Minato noticed. "What?"

"I...Are you sure you want to know? I mean...things weren't..." Naruto trailed off.

"Tell me whatever you want. Good, bad, ugly...I just want to know everything about you. This is the only chance I'll have."

"A-Alright."

And so Naruto started from the beginning.

* * *

Sasuke was reading the rest of his brother's file, when he first felt it. He shook it off the first time and kept reading. Then he felt it again and gasped. Such deep resentment, anger, and sadness seemed to go through him without a cause. He gripped his black shirt where his heart would be. Why would he feel this way? He didn't have any reason for it anymore. He wasn't angry. He didn't resent his brother. The only emotion he could probably identify with right now was sadness. So what was going on?

And then his mind flashed back to two days ago. In the midst of Konoha's chaos, he had forgotten.

"_...if we mix our blood, when the seal is activated and the tattoo is bonded to our skin we'd be connected to each other...it could cause us to feel each other's emotions under times of stress..."_

His head turned slowly to look down at his unconscious counterpart. Were these Naruto's emotions he was feeling?

'_What is going on in that head of yours dobe?'_

He glanced over at Naruto's file still sitting on the ground. It was huge compared to his and Itachi's. In fact, if he put both Uchiha files together it still would be smaller than Naruto's. He was curious. He knew enough about Itachi now, and he didn't need to read his own file since he knew what was in it. So, he grabbed the file and started flipping through it. Maybe the dobe would be awake by the time he finished.

And just maybe when he was finished, he would truly know what it was like to be Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

Nothing had prepared Minato for the stories he was told by his son. He was given a first person account of a life that no child should ever have. Almost the entire village continually took out their grief on an innocent child. No one deserved what Naruto had been put through. And these were the people he had sacrificed his life and the normal life of his son for?

He wasn't just angry...He was livid.

Deep down, he knew he wouldn't change a thing he had done, but still, as a father, he wanted to go back and change things for the better. He'd love to have a go at the council...and maybe at all those ungrateful people, as well.

He understood now, more than before, why Naruto had been so angry at him. It was remarkable that he didn't hate him. That he could smile at all was a miracle.

"Oh by the way, I learned the rasengan in a week." Minato blinked and shook away his negative thoughts. He had to have heard that wrong.

"Excuse me? Did you say a week?"

"Yep." Naruto grinned.

"Impossible! Are you kidding me? It took me years to create that jutsu and you learned it in a week?!" Naruto grinned smugly.

"AND I finished it."

"You mean...you added an element? It actually works?" Minato was impressed. He thought it would work...in theory. But he could never put it into practice.

"Yeah, I added wind chakra. It's called rasen shuriken. It's wicked cool! Though, Baa-chan forbade me from using it anymore after it almost destroyed my arm. It pretty much destroys a person's chakra system altogether."

"Wow." Minato was so proud. His son had surpassed him. Not surprising really. He was happy that his son had grown up to be so strong even without the proper direction.

"Yep." Naruto didn't know why, but he felt almost giddy at being able to tell his father that he had finished what he had started. It made him feel like they accomplished something together, even if he hadn't been there to see it.

"So what else do you know?"

"Well I have a bunch of different versions of the rasengan, I already told you how I learned the shadow clone jutsu, I taught myself seals..."

"Ah...just like your old man eh?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I also picked up water as a second element."

"I'm not surprised. That was your mother's element. I wouldn't be surprised if you added lightning to your list in a few years. It was my element after all."

"Really?! Sasuke would be so pissed to find out that I could learn all his lightning jutsus." Naruto was excited at that prospect.

"Oh, and I left you all of my jutsus as well as your mother's, and a bunch of unfinished seals if you ever get around to them."

"All your jutsus?!" Naruto's eyes glazed over at the thought of learning all of the Yondaime's prized jutsus.

"Yes." He laughed aloud. It seemed Naruto had inherited his excitement at learning new jutsus. "So tell me what happened after you left Konoha."

"Oh yeah... Well, I traveled around a lot. Kinda like Ero-sennin-"

"Ero-sennin? You mean Jiraiya-sensei?!" Naruto grinned. Minato laughed. "Oh that's great! You call him that?! I wish I had thought of that."

"Yep, he always acted like he hated it...but I think he secretly liked it. Anyways, I traveled around. It was fun, but it was a bit lonely at times. I eventually settled in a place in Bird Country. I figured no one would find me there. It was nice to just be normal, you know? Nobody avoided me, I could eat or shop wherever I wanted. I met a girl there who I've been training."

"Ohh...met a girl huh?" Minato grinned and waggled his eyebrows. Naruto glared.

"Not like that! She's 13! I'm no pervert!" The older blond shrugged.

"And? You act like that's a big difference."

"It is!"

"It won't be eventually." Minato chuckled at the look on Naruto's face. "Ok ok, I'll stop teasing."

Naruto crossed his arms and turned his face away with a huff. "Hmph."

"So I guess that means there's no girlfriend for me to tease you about huh?"

"Nah. Well, I did used to have a crush on Sakura, my teammate. She never saw me that way though, no matter what I did. We eventually became more like siblings. She's getting married soon. Then there's Hinata, she had a crush on me for the longest, but I didn't like her that way. She finally went out with my other friend Kiba though, so I guess she finally got over me. I'm glad she found someone else. Besides, I guess I was so busy focusing on going after Sasuke that I didn't really think much about going out with any girls."

"He means that much to you huh?" Minato had an interesting suspicion that was starting to form in his mind. Naruto smiled...really smiled.

"He's my best friend. I know he was a traitor and that he even tried to kill me more than once. Most of my friends thought I was stupid for wanting him back. But I just knew deep down that no matter what he said, we were still friends. He didn't kill me, so that had to mean something, right? And I didn't want to give up on him like just about everyone else. I'm glad I didn't, because we're back together again like it used to be. He's still a bastard, of course, but I'm used to it. I probably know him better than anyone in Konoha. Even his stalker fangirls."

"Wait til you're back in Konoha. You'll probably have your own share of fangirls like I did."

"Yeah right, no one wants to go out with the Kyuubi kid."

"Hey!" Minato smacked Naruto lightly upside the head. "Don't think like that. If a person thinks that shallowly, you're better off without her. Besides you're too much like your old man not to have people all over you wanting attention." He elbowed his son in the side and watched Naruto shudder at that thought.

"Oh man, I hope not. Those girls are crazy! Eh, it doesn't matter much. Most of the girls I know are taken anyway. I'd rather just hang out with Sasuke." Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "I feel kinda bad for him though. At least I'm not hellbent on restarting the clan like him. I'm kinda wondering how he'll pull that off, though. He practically runs from every girl that comes near him."

The two of them both laughed at that.

* * *

Sasuke suddenly sneezed. _'Where the hell did that come from?'_ Then he felt a rush of happiness flood through him. "Dobe, what the hell are you doing?" he muttered.

He sighed and looked back down at Naruto's file. He found out more about his best friend in the last few hours than he ever wanted to. He confirmed everything he'd been told about the council. He stopped reading medical records by the time it got up to where they became genin together. The sheer amount of times he'd been admitted due to various unexplained injuries before he became a ninja was staggering. He wondered how Naruto could even smile at all, mask or not. He'd have happily destroyed everyone without a second thought for that kind of mistreatment.

But that's what made Naruto different.

It's what made him love the idiot...in a best friend kind of way, of course.

* * *

"So, your dream is really to become hokage?"

"Yeah...well, it was. I don't know if it'll ever happen now. Truthfully, I'm not sure if I even want it anymore...not the way things are now."

"Well, you and Sasuke are planning to make things right, correct?"

"Sure, but..."

"You shouldn't give up. You've never given up in all this time, don't start now." He ruffled the blond spikes and grinned proudly at his son. But the smile suddenly disappeared. "Oh damn."

"What? What's the matter?"

"Time's up."

"Already? It can't be 24 hours already."

"I guess it's true that time flies when you're having fun." Minato smiled sadly.

Naruto sighed. There was so much more he wanted to talk about, ask about, so much more he wanted - no needed - to know. One day wasn't enough time. "I wish...I wish we had more time...dad."

Minato smile turned happy at the new label. "Me too, son."

"So, what happens now?"

"Well, the moment I disappear, you go back to the real world." He rubbed the back of his head much like the younger version of himself and muttered to himself. "At least in theory...I never got a chance to test it."

Unfortunately, Naruto heard him and his mouth dropped open. "You've never done this before?! Are you crazy? You could get me stuck here!" Minato waved his hand dismissively. Naruto was suddenly reminded of a certain silver-haired sensei.

"Nah, I doubt it. I checked everything over before I sealed the scroll." Naruto looked a bit skeptical. Minato chuckled. "Don't worry kid, it'll be fine...really."

"It better be." Naruto muttered so his father wouldn't hear. Minato placed his hands on Naruto's shoulders.

"I'm proud of you Naruto. You're a great person and a great shinobi. I know you'll make a fine hokage one day."

Naruto swallowed and nodded, trying not to tear up.

"Oh...one more thing." Minato added as he stepped away from Naruto.

"Yeah?"

"Make sure you tell Sasuke." He said cryptically.

"Huh? Tell him what?"

Minato chuckled and gave his son a wink. "You'll figure it out one day."

And then he was gone, replaced by smoke.

Naruto blinked his eyes open.

* * *

Sasuke was sleeping peacefully on Naruto's chest. He had needed a nap after so much reading. There was no pillow and the female chest was the closest thing he could get to one. But what started as a nap had become a deep sleep.

Naruto opened his eyes and moaned as his head spun a bit and his eyes tried to focus. He felt a weight on his chest and looked, surprised to see a brown head on his now back to somewhat ample chest. He had gotten used to seeing his normal body again in the last 24 hours. It would be strange being back in a female body again.

The teme had a crease in his brow like something was troubling him, even in sleep. Naruto brushed his finger over the crease, trying to smooth it out, knowing that truly smoothing over one's troubles was never that easy. Sasuke flinched slightly. He ran his fingers through the dark locks. He wanted to sit up, but he didn't want to disturb Sasuke since he was finally getting some sleep. He'd noticed over time that Sasuke never slept much. It was almost like he'd gotten so used to having to look over his shoulder as a missing nin that he didn't know how to just sleep normally anymore.

As he unconsciously threaded his hand through his teammate's hair, he thought over the time he spent with his father. He had been dreading just reading anything about him. It was nothing compared to how he felt when he suddenly found himself in front of the man.

But in the end, he was happy. He understood everything now, and that was all that mattered. He had parents who did love him. Yes he was given a burden to bear, but his father believed that he was strong enough to bear it, and he had been. Sure it had been hard, he'd probably had to work harder than most anyone, but in the end, it was worth it. A soft smile crept onto his face. He wondered if his father really did get the memories from the clone, or if the clone was just humoring him.

And then it really, really hit him. His father was the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha. Take that everyone who thought he didn't have it in him to be hokage! It was in his blood for Kami's sake. He'd love to throw up his middle finger to everyone who didn't believe in him. He forgot his plan not to disturb his sleeping friend and began to chuckle.

"Naru...to..." Sasuke muttered sleepily. Then he shot up suddenly as it hit him. "Dobe?! What the hell happened to you? I was..." He stopped himself before he blurted out his weakness.

"Worried? Scared? Upset? What teme?" Sasuke glared at the teasing.

"Like I would be worried about an idiot like you."

"Uh huh...whatever you say."

Sasuke threw a half-hearted punch at Naruto who avoided it with a chuckle.

"You gonna tell me what happened or leave me in suspense?"

"What? You mean you actually care?" Naruto raised a brow.

"Dobe..." Sasuke growled.

Naruto grinned.

"You're gonna make me say it aren't you? Ass."

The grin never left Naruto's face.

"Fine...I was maybe...just a tiny...bit...worried."

"Uh huh. Thought so. You _love_ me!" Naruto looked superior for a moment before Sasuke flicked his head with his finger. "Ow!" he yelled as he rubbed his forehead, his mouth shifting into a pout. "Jerk."

Sasuke grinned. "Thank you. Now start talking."

Naruto opened his mouth, then closed it again. How exactly do you explain to someone that you just had a heart to heart talk with your very much dead father?

"Well...I got to meet my father." Well, Naruto never was known for being tactful.

"What?"

* * *

Tsunade yawned as she walked into her office. She had worked so hard the previous night, she overslept well into the next day. The fact that Shizune didn't wake her was just as telling. She probably was still asleep herself. First she went to the hospital to check on Kakashi, who was still in a coma, though he was starting to show some signs of responsiveness. She hoped he would wake up soon so they could find out exactly what happened to him. Then she toured some of the worst parts of the village to see how much damage there was.

Seating herself at her desk, she sighed at the amount of paperwork that greeted her. And she knew more would be coming. The amount of damage suffered by the village meant there would have to be monumental repairs done. That meant hiring out workers. That meant more paperwork. And she was going to have to explain this mess. More paperwork. She groaned. If only the tower had been destroyed too. Well, not really...it was one of the symbols of the village, of stability. Civilians and shinobi alike needed something to show their village was still standing even if many of the buildings were not. But, she definitely could've done without anymore paperwork to do. And then she was going to have to meet with the council. Damn, she didn't want to do it. The elders would be hell to deal with. And she knew Danzou would try to use this attack as an opportunity to undermine her authority and attempt to force her to step down. What was worse is that she knew the elders would agree with him. The last thing she needed now was opposition from those three.

Was it bad to have sake at 10 in the morning?

She looked over at the picture of Minato. Not for the first time, she wished he was still here. He made a much better hokage than she did. He would know how to put those old meddlers in their place. He would've found a way to shut down Root. And he probably would know what to do about Akatsuki too. She sighed and was about to turn back to the mountain of work in front of her. Except...

She blinked and stared harder at the picture.

_'That's weird.'_ She thought. It was crooked. She could swear it was straight when she left the office. And there weren't any explosions close enough to the tower to warrant the picture moving. She briefly wondered if one of those meddling council members tried to do something during her absence.

Fortunately, no one could open that seal but a select group of people. They weren't among them.

She stood up and walked over to shift the portrait a few inches when she saw the gap. Her eyes widened and she pulled the picture off the wall and gasped. The seal had been broken. Everything was gone.

"SHI-" She stopped before she finished calling her secretary. She leaned against her desk and stared ahead as she frowned in thought. It was just a process of elimination. Three of those who could've opened the seal were gone - Minato, Sarutobi, and Jiraiya. She hadn't, obviously. That only left one other person...

Her lips morphed into a slow smug smile. She wondered when he'd shown up and where he was now. If only Sakura knew...

'_Naruto...you sly fox...'_

--

--

_Edited 03/18/2010_

**a/n:** Well I hope this keeps you happy for a while. And no big cliffhanger this time. Reviews are appreciated, of course. *tosses candy canes to all my readers*

I'm working on another of my stories, so I may have one more chapter of something for you before the week is out.


	22. Reunions, Awakenings, and Politics

**a/n: **Thank you so much for your reviews and for being super patient with me. I know it's been a while since I've updated this baby. Blame my muse...it's been stuck on The Sun, The Moon and The Sea for quite a while. It wouldn't allow me to work on anything else. All I kept drawing were blanks every time I tried to write anything at all for Ch. 21. But now, I'm back on track! And hopefully things will go a bit quicker now since I know exactly what kind of conclusion I'm heading for. I'm thinking about 10 to 15 more chapters...depends on how wordy I get. Enjoy the chapter. Things are going to get mighty interesting the rest of the way.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

**Warning: **Spoilers for future manga chapters. I hope you're keeping up.

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 21 - Reunions, Awakenings and Politics  
**

* * *

--

**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

--

Sasuke stared at Naruto like he'd grown a second head.

"Don't look at me like that teme. I'm not crazy. I really met him!"

"Fine...I'll humor you. So what did he say?"

"He told me why he did it." Sasuke nodded, he didn't have to ask what 'it' was. "Oh, and he told me about my mother. And he wanted me to tell him about my life...so, I did."

"Everything?" Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, he was pretty pissed off about how bad things were for me. Hmm...I wonder if he'll come back and haunt the council now?"

"Hn."

"Ok, fine, you don't care, I get it. OH! Get this. He left me all of his and my mother's jutsus and all of his unfinished seals! AND his primary element was lightning. I might be learning chidori after all." Naruto grinned in obviously pleasure at the idea.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and didn't bother to respond.

Naruto stretched and then stood up. Walking over to the small chest on the floor, he knelt in front of it and used a small stream of his chakra to open the lock. The moment he did so, the box glowed. A few seconds later, there was a poof of smoke. When the smoke cleared, the small chest had become a large chest, opened to reveal two large scrolls enclosed. Sasuke walked over and reached for one while Naruto reached for another. Naruto opened the first one and saw that it was full of seals and lightning jutsus. He grinned like a kid in a candy store. There were hundreds of seals there to learn and finish. It didn't even bother him that he couldn't do the lightning jutsus yet. Sasuke shook his head at Naruto's antics and opened the one in his hands. It contained all kinds of water jutsus.

"I assume these are your mother's jutsus?"

Naruto shifted over and looked down at the second scroll. "Yep. Awesome!" They rolled the two scrolls back up and Naruto looked inside the chest to see if there was anything else. It was empty. He scratched his head in confusion.

"Don't think too hard dobe, you'll break something." Naruto turned his head to glare at Sasuke.

"Shut up teme!"

"What's the problem?" He watched Naruto turn all the way around like he was looking for something.

"Dad said he left me his prized jutsus. They're not here."

"Maybe someone stole them."

"Don't even joke about that!" Sasuke shrugged.

"You have a better explanation?"

Naruto sighed and put his head in his hand mulling over the situation. He was saddened at the possibility of not finding his father's jutsus.

"Hey dobe?" He looked over at Sasuke. "Aren't some of his most prized jutsu's A or S-rank?"

"Yeah..." Why was he asking that? Sasuke raised a brow. "What?"

The Uchiha snorted. "Idiot." Naruto growled at the insult. Sasuke sighed and nodded in the area behind Naruto, hoping he'd figure out what he was saying without spelling it out for him. Naruto turned around toward the area Sasuke directed him to. He paused and stared ahead of him and once he finally saw it, he wanted to smack himself.

"Of course...the forbidden scroll!" How did he not figure that out? And now that he thought about it, he could remember all of the things he saw on the scroll when he was looking for a jutsu to impress Iruka into graduating him. With widened eyes, he practically ran over to the large scroll and opened it. It was the first time he'd looked at it since that day and he almost felt a bit nostalgic at seeing inside of it again. At the time everything looked too difficult to even attempt. But this time, he read the list of jutsus in awe. And he knew he could learn them all now. It didn't take much to figure out that the seals listed were the ones his father used to do the Kyuubi sealing. Looking farther down the list, he saw the jutsu that had made his father famous - Hiraishin no Jutsu. Scanning quickly over what was involved, he wondered how long it would take him to figure it out. It looked to be extremely difficult.

But then again, he had figured out the basics of Rasengan and mastered it within a month.

With a smile, he rolled the scroll back up and brought it with him to put with the other two scrolls. He stared at the three of them for the longest then looked over at Sasuke, the only one he could trust with everything. Finally, he nodded solemnly as if he had just made an important decision. Sasuke watched him warily, wondering what he was thinking, but decided not to ask and just wait. Naruto picked up the scroll that he'd first looked at and then put it in front of Sasuke. "Here."

"What are you doing dobe?"

Naruto looked away embarrassed. "Well...you see...Alright, look, you can use lightning. I can't. At least not yet anyway. So you'll be able to find more use for this than I will right now. Seals take time to study and I doubt we'll have the time for it anytime soon. So...for now...it's yours."

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. The dobe was really allowing him to learn some of his father's, the Yondaime's, jutsus? "Are you sure about this?"

Naruto smiled widely and nodded.

Sasuke just stared at his friend. He really had no idea what to say. He was floored.

"I...Thank you."

* * *

Madara was sitting on the head that resembled his former self. Looking over the watery valley, he thought of the past and everything that had led him to this point. He felt the chakra long before the man became visible. "Well?"

"He isn't there." Pein stood next to him and surveyed the land before him.

"Hn...Do you know the history of this place?" Madara asked. Pein did not answer and so he chuckled and went on. "Ironic isn't it. I've been immortalized right here...seen throughout history and on into the future as the man who battled Senju Hashirama to the death. Yet, contrary to popular belief, here I am still alive and well. And who could have known that another battle would play out right here in the same place so many years later? Another Uchiha versus our own little Kyuubi vessel."

Pein could care less about the history lesson. But he stayed respectfully silent until the other man made his point. Now, without looking at the masked man, he outlined his plan. "The only information I received was that he had been banished and constantly moved from place to place. However, the copy ninja's mind revealed the place he believed him to be in...Bird Country."

"Tori no Kuni huh? Interesting... No wonder he seemed to disappear off the face of the earth. I assume you're planning to go there."

"Yes."

Madara nodded and continued to stare ahead out of his one eye. "Do not fail me Pein." With a couple of hand signs, he was gone.

* * *

An hour later Sasuke and Naruto were ascending the stairs to enter the actual Uchiha mansion. They both wanted to freshen up and eat and then decide what to do from there.

"So dobe, you know you're practically royalty now."

"Eh, like I care about that. I'm just happy to finally know that I had a family that loved me. So, anything exciting happen while I was gone."

"No. I just read. I had lots of time on my hands, you know."

"You read mine too?"

"Hn."

Naruto was silent at that. Sasuke opened the door, flooding the stairway with light and glanced back. "It bothers you."

"I-I don't know."

Sasuke walked out into his old home and waited for Naruto before continuing. "It's nothing you didn't already tell me."

"Yeah I know...but..."

"But?"

"I didn't think you'd see _everything_." Naruto stared at the floor because he didn't want to look his best friend in the eye.

"You know you have nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn't right...the way they treated you." Sasuke placed a hand on his friend's tense shoulder. "And I'm pissed that the council allowed it. But we'll deal with them soon enough."

"Deal with what?" Came a voice that wasn't Naruto's. Their eyes widened at the very familiar voice. Both turned toward the voice and found a buxom woman both were familiar with.

"Baa-chan?" Sasuke wanted to slap Naruto upside the head. Way to blow their cover. Not like being in the Uchiha home wasn't a dead giveaway already.

Tsunade glared. "Don't call me that brat!" She looked at the two figures and chuckled. She played her hunch and she was right to come here. It was easy for her to tell, even with their disguises, which was whom. Even if Naruto hadn't opened his mouth, she would've known. First, the arrogant Uchiha would never henge into a girl. And second, the female was bouncing around with energy only Naruto could have. She turned when she felt the glare coming from one side of the room and smirked. "You're wondering how I got through the wards and got through undetected? I _am _a sannin, you know."

Sasuke scowled and looked away. Tsunade clenched her fist. The damn Uchiha still pissed her off. If it wasn't for Naruto, she'd have him arrested.

"How did you know we were here?" Naruto asked. diverting her angry attention from Sasuke.

"Well it wasn't all that hard to figure out once I found out certain items went missing." Tsunade replied with a raised eyebrow. Naruto looked away while scratching the back of his neck. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto for being sloppy.

"Dobe."

"Shut up teme. Not like you could've pulled it off. You wouldn't have even known where to look."

"AND..." Tsunade interrupted them, "you had already hinted to me who was staying with you in your last letter. And since there's no way you could stay in your old dilapidated condemned apartment building, that only left here."

"So now that you know, what do you plan to do with us?" Sasuke asked.

"Nothing." She replied. Both males looked confused, which made her grin almost evilly. "You're two visitors from Wave Country as far as I know. Of course, if Sakura were to somehow figure out that you were here, I can't account for what she'd do to you." Both males...well, one male and one female, blanched at the veiled threat. "Now take off those ridiculous henges. I want to see what you look like."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto. Naruto shrugged. Both of them bit their thumbs, swiped their tattoos with blood, went through the handseals they now knew by heart and whispered "Kai." When the smoke cleared a blond and brunet stood in their places. Silenced reigned over the three. Each had their own thoughts going through their heads. Tsunade was just about gaping at how much Naruto resembled Minato. Her boy had really grown up. Naruto looked up and directed his azure eyes at Tsunade. She couldn't help but see the unhidden sadness in them and knew what was to come.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Tsunade looked confused for a moment. _'Us?'_

"I didn't tell _you _because the Sandaime said you weren't to know until you were deemed old enough to understand." Naruto rolled his eyes with a huff.

"And when would that have been baa-chan? When I became a genin? When I came back from my training? Before I left?"

Tsunade looked away a bit guiltily. She turned back and saw such hurt in those eyes. But, she knew Naruto too well, and she wouldn't apologize. She had her reasons. "First off, when you first became a genin, you had just found out about the Kyuubi. Would you have really been able to take that kind of news from Sarutobi...to find out that your own father and personal idol was responsible for it? Second, I know how you were gaki. If I had told you when you were younger, what would you have done? You would've shouted the news from the rooftops, bragged to everyone...we'd have never heard the end of it. Your father had too many enemies in high and low places for that news to get spread around."

Naruto glared and was about to retort when she held up her hand. "Look...I know you're upset. I can't really blame you. I was going to tell you after you turned 16, but things started happening within the council and all my energy went into keeping them from banishing you. And when that happened, I really don't think you wanted to hear the truth on your way out the gates. I could've told you later, but it really isn't the type of thing you just reveal to someone in a letter." Naruto sighed and sat down on the couch rubbing his hands over his face. If he thought about it, and he hated to, she was right. Still, it didn't mean he had to like being kept in the dark.

"How many of you knew? I know Ero-sennin, obviously. I'm assuming Kakashi."

"Jiraiya, I think, had he made it back from Amegakure, would have told you. As for Kakashi, he didn't know at first. To him you were just a random kid that was chosen. He didn't put two and two together until after he had seen you use a rasengan and he came to see me and asked."

"But he was pissed at me...I remember. He told Ero-sennin I was too undisciplined to use a high ranked technique."

"Yes...well...Kakashi was stupid. He's learned that quite a bit over the years." Tsunade deadpanned. "If you want to know more, you'll have to talk to Kakashi. I have a feeling you both might need to have a heart to heart anyway."

Naruto nodded. "Alright then, but what about him?" He gestured in Sasuke's direction.

"What about him?" Sasuke glared at her, this time for her seeming confusion.

"About Itachi." he replied. Now Tsunade was really confused.

"What about Itachi?" Sasuke growled. Naruto grabbed a pale wrist and pulled Sasuke down next to him before he did something he would regret or that would have them put in jail.

"You seriously don't know do you?" Naruto asked the older blonde with wonder in his voice.

"Know what? Quit beating around the bush and tell me what I'm missing!"

Naruto turned to his best friend. "Give it to her." Sasuke sighed and pulled the scroll from his pocket and held it out to her. "You might want to sit down baa-chan." Tsunade waved him off and opened the scroll. After the first couple of lines she realized she should've listened to Naruto as she fell back into the chair behind her. When she finished reading, and then read it once more for good measure, she looked up at the two boys, her eyes full of emotions. One was sadness...another was regret.

"I-I never saw this. I never knew..."

"How is that possible? It was supposed to be for the next Hokage. How did you not see it?"

Tsunade shook her head sadly. "Sarutobi must've felt it was too classified to leave in the desk. He left me a note in the drawer. It told me where the biggest secrets of the village were hidden and that my chakra would open it. I never took the time to look. I always assumed, since it was hidden behind the Yondaime's picture, that it was about Minato, you, and the Kyuubi. I never expected anything more."

"Hn...it doesn't matter anymore. I know the truth now."

"And what do you plan to do now that you know the truth?" She asked. It was a leading question. She knew it...so did he. Sasuke may be a friend to Naruto, but she was still wary of the Uchiha who had left Konoha behind, all for revenge. What would he do now that he knew the council was responsible for the massacre?

Sasuke stared at the wall ahead of him, not looking at anyone. He was angry...not just for his family's sake, but for Naruto and all the crap he put up with because of those people. At one time, he actually thought about destroying the entire village before he regained enough sanity to get away from his predecessor and his sneaky manipulations. But now, what did he want?

"It's not just him anymore." Naruto interrupted softly and Tsunade's eyes shot over to the blond's face.

"What? Do you know what you're saying Naruto?" Naruto couldn't be thinking that...he wasn't the vengeful type.

"The council has too much power. You know that as well as I do baa-chan."

"But that's no-"

"Danzou..." Tsunade's eyes widened at the name. "He's the catalyst behind everything."

"He's the one who ordered Itachi to spy on the clan and then he, along with the other two elders, later ordered him to kill them all."

"Tell me baa-chan...which council members wanted me banished? I'm positive that you know." Tsunade looked down. Yes, she did know. If she told them, what would happen then?

"I'm sure I could at least guess some of them." Naruto said as he watched Tsunade, knowing she was trying to decide whether to tell or not. He decided to help her along. "Danzou was probably the main spearheader, Mitokado and Utatane usually follow, I'm sure the two village reps sided with them, as well...should I go on?" Tsunade looked up wearily and sighed. She knew she would need sake after this.

"What will you do about it?" Naruto shrugged.

"Don't know yet. Rest assured though...neither of us are here for vengeance, yes I know that's hard to believe for the teme." He ignored the glare he could feel from his couch-mate. "We just want things made right. The council's corruption has gone on for far too long and something needs to be done about it."

"By you?" She asked disbelievingly.

Naruto raised a brow. "Who else? You? ANBU? You're watched constantly, I'm sure. Danzou's black ops may officially be out of commission, but unofficially, they are alive and well. All you have to do is go ask Sai."

"How could you possibly know about Root?"

"I practically lived in the Hokage tower, I spent so much time roaming around where no one could see me or hanging out with the old man. Even if I didn't understand, I heard things. How do you think I knew where to find the forbidden scroll both times I took it? And where to find our files?"

Tsunade shook her head in disbelief. "I'm going to have to do something about security." she muttered. Naruto chuckled.

"Don't worry about it baa-chan. Security is just fine. I just happen to know all the ways around it."

"Whatever brat."

"The point is, you nor anyone you assign, will be able to find out anything because they watch you. The teme and I though, are out of the picture and therefore invisible. They think we're both either wandering the world or dead. If we don't do something soon, Konoha will end up in worse shape than it's ever been. And no one will be able to stop the downward spiral. Look, once we decide on a course of action, you'll be the first person we'll talk to. Fair enough?"

Tsunade frowned. It wasn't like she had much of a choice. And she was wary of the council these days, especially Danzou. "Fine."

"Alright! Now that we got that out of the way, tell me what the hell happened before we got here."

"Akatsuki happened." Naruto's eyes went wide. They did all that damage? "It was Pein...he's looking for you and was willing to kill and destroy anyone in the way of finding you. He came here and started asking for information on you. Or maybe I should say forcibly trying to get information on you. He killed anyone who didn't know."

Guilt slammed into Naruto like a fist to the gut. Just being alive had endangered the entire village and put his friends in the hospital. Sasuke felt Naruto tense up next to him and he immediately saw the look of guilt flash through the blue eyes. He clamped a hand down on the tense shoulder and squeezed until Naruto jumped in slight pain.

"Stop." It was soft. It was only one word. But it had more meaning to it than anyone, beyond Naruto, would know.

Naruto blinked and took a deep breath at the admonition. And then he nodded and smiled slightly at his best friend in thanks. Tsunade watched the exchange in interest. It seems things between them have changed quite a bit. She filed that in the back of her mind to think about later. Naruto, now that he had been brought back from the clutches of his overloading guilt, went back to the topic at hand.

"Just one man...did all that?"

"In a way, yes. He has six bodies. Each one has a different ability that's practically impossible to defeat. Jiraiya tried to tell us about him in his message."

Naruto's eyes widened in understanding. "He's the one who killed Jiraiya! That's why that name kept sounding so familiar. Sasuke said something about him not long ago too."

"You know about him?" She asked Sasuke.

"Yes. Mostly from Madara."

Tsunade paled. "Wait...What?" Naruto sighed and got up, knowing the direction the conversation was headed.

"I'll be right back. Looks like you're going to be here for a while." He walked away. She raised a brow at Sasuke.

"I'm almost afraid to ask..."

Sasuke chuckled humorlessly. "I'll save you the trouble. Yes, he's alive and well and is the leader of Akatsuki. He wanted me to join him. He's also the one who first told me about Itachi. Oh, by the way, he helped my brother kill the clan."

"Dammit...this is getting weirder by the minute...I need sake." she mumbled, rubbing her temples.

A cup and a bottle magically appeared in front of her. She looked up at a grinning Naruto.

"I knew you'd need some by now."

"I might just love you brat." Naruto blushed lightly and then hid it with a laugh as he returned to his seat. She was tempted to drink from the bottle at this point but she restrained herself and poured it into the cup. "Keep going brat." she directed toward Sasuke, who bristled at the new nickname.

"I can't tell you much about Pein besides the fact that he's the visible leader of Akatsuki. I do know that Madara has plans of his own that don't mesh with Pein's. Madara wants the power of the bijuu for himself and wants to destroy Konoha. I'm not sure what Pein's plans are. But they are working together to the end of gathering the bijuu."

"Hmm..." Tsunade took a few gulps as she digested the information given to her so far. Madara being alive was a shock. Him being the leader of Akatsuki, frankly, scared her. She'd read enough of the Senju records to know of his resentment towards her family and Konoha as a whole. She also knew that he had the ability to control the nine-tailed fox. That made her glance at Naruto. Could it be that he was the reason the fox appeared almost 18 years ago and left the blond, and so many others, without family? She glanced back at a stone-faced Sasuke. It was a surprise to her that, considering his single-mindedness toward vengeance, he didn't join the man. "Why didn't you join? Frankly, now that I know what you do, I'm surprised you didn't." she murmured just loud enough for the boys to hear.

Sasuke didn't answer with words. He just glanced at the blond at his side and she understood. Naruto obviously still seemed to have that effect on people. Tsunade sighed and stood up.

"Well, as much as I'd love to continue this, I need to get back before people start looking for me. Nobody goes anywhere near the Uchiha grounds anymore, so I guess you'll have no problem staying here as long as no one sees you enter or leave the district."

"That's the plan." Naruto chimed in as both young men stood up, as well. Tsunade grinned suddenly and grabbed Naruto before he could protest and squeezed him in a bear hug. The blond struggled and waved his arms.

"Can't...breathe..." Finally she let him go and it was all Naruto could do not to collapse to the floor gasping for air.

"Glad to have you back brat. I've missed you." She looked at the brunette one last time. "You too. I didn't miss you, but I'm glad you're with him. Once things get a bit settled, I'll check on you two. We need to talk."

Translation: Don't do anything to anyone until we talk.

They both nodded and she disappeared.

* * *

It was close to evening and Sakura yawned as she walked down the hallway. She'd been on her feet all day with the many injured patients from the invasion. But she had one more thing to do before she left. A few seconds later she reached the room she wanted and opened the door.

Kakashi hadn't moved a muscle. The quite whisper of air from the breathing mask along with the whirring and beeping of machines were the only sounds in the room. Sakura slowly moved forward and first checked his chart at the foot of the bed before moving into a seat right beside him and taking his hand.

"Hi Kakashi-sensei." Then she smiled slightly. "I still can't seem to get used to calling you just Kakashi. You'll always be sensei to me." She sighed and stayed quiet for a while. Her musings were interrupted by her friend's voice.

"What are you still doing here, forehead? I thought you were leaving."

"Yeah, I am. I just wanted to stop by and see how he was doing." Ino couldn't help but feel sorry for her friend. Kakashi was the only original member of the team Sakura had left. If she lost him, Ino didn't know how she would take it. She walked over and checked the monitors and I.V. and then she smiled brightly at Sakura.

"He'll be fine. He's just taking his sweet time to heal. He always was lazy eh?"

Sakura giggled. "And late...of course." Both of them laughed at that. "I'll just be a couple of more minutes, then I'll go home."

"Ok. See you later." Ino waved and left.

Neither of them noticed the slight twitch of an eye.

Sakura sighed and went back to talking. It's supposed to be good, right? "I can't believe you left us behind like that. We were shocked to come back and see Konoha so bad off. Should've known you'd try to shoulder things on your own. We did see him by the way. I bet you're wondering why I'm back here then. Well...he kind of gave us the slip. Sasuke's with him, you know. Stupid boys...always leaving me behind. I just wish-"

She stopped suddenly. Her eyes looked down at her fingers which, were being slightly squeezed by the larger hand. She gasped and looked up.

Kakashi's eye was open.

* * *

It was late, yet the council chamber was buzzing with activity. Danzou, the elders, the village representatives and the clan heads were all assembled. They were discussing how someone could possibly infiltrate Konoha so easily and without warning?

"What happened to the barrier that's supposed to warn Konoha of any enemy infiltration. huh? An enemy invading the village has happened way too often the last few years." Inuzuka Tsume growled. She had been fortunate that no one from her pack had been seriously injured or killed.

"Troublesome...But you know as well as I do that the last two enemies that invaded were both ex-shinobi of this village. Uchiha Itachi, as an ANBU, knew all about how to get through the barrier without being seen. So did Orochimaru. It's only right to assume that either Orochimaru, or most likely Itachi, passed on that secret to the rest of Akatsuki." replied Nara Shikaku.

"Actually, the barrier did it's job." Mitokado Homura interrupted. "An intruder was detected. Only one though. How the others got in undetected, I don't know."

"Maybe one was a cover?" said one of the men representing the civilian population.

"What sense would that make?" Aburame Shibi asked. "Why have one alert the village and have the rest come in secretly? If they knew how to get in, they wouldn't need a cover." Yamanaka Inoichi stood up.

"What we researched since Jiraiya's death may help shed some light on this man known as Pein. From what we found in our research of the body in our possession, it seems that all the bodies were able to be controlled by one person by means of the metal piercings, which act as chakra receivers. It is possible, since one of the bodies was primarily used as a summoner, that it may have been that particular body that came through the barrier and then summoned the rest inside. Which would explain why the others weren't detected."

"Hmm." Utatane Koharu scrunched her face in thought.

Danzou looked over the group silently. He finally saw his moment to step in, and did it with a vengeance. "It doesn't matter how it happened. The fact is it _did _happen. And I believe the fault lies with the Godaime for being ill prepared to deal with Akatsuki."

"And why would you believe that to be the case? She no more knew than the rest of us did that they were coming to attack." Hyuuga Hiashi calmly added.

"She knew they would come eventually. It is not a known fact that the Kyuubi vessel was banished. The moment that Akatsuki was ready to look for the nine-tailed fox, Konoha would automatically be the first place they'd look. She should have been better prepared for that possibility."

"And what could she have possibly done against THAT?!" Inoichi asked incredulously. "All the elite or jounin ninja in the world would be hard pressed to defeat any of them. One sucks out souls! Another absorbs your techniques like a sponge! I could go on and on... Hatake Kakashi, one of our most elite ninja sits, in the hospital in a coma after battling it out with just one of them. Our friend, Chouza, died trying to assist him. What would you have her do?"

Danzou glared at the blond man who questioned his authority. "Do you really want to know what I would have done? I'll be happy to explain it to you." He replied quietly but forcefully. Inoichi sat down, though not backing down from the glare at all.

"I would have placed more security outside the walls of the village the moment I heard rumors that Akatsuki was ready to go after the nine-tailed fox. Tsunade knew that much. Instead of sending them out on missions, I would have kept most of our ninja - chuunin and above - close to the village, so that in a moment's notice they would be ready if the enemy came. I would have taken the information we had so far on the body in our possession, even if it was incomplete, and used it to come up with a plan. Is that enough for you or would you like more?"

The chambers grew quiet for a while. Finally, Koharu stood and looked at Danzou. "What are you proposing?"

"I am proposing that the Godaime be removed from her position." A gasp went through the room.

A mumbled 'troublesome' broke the silence.

"Are you crazy? Who would become hokage in her stead?" Tsume yelled.

"Someone who could do a better job."

"And I bet you're suggesting yourself!"

"Unless you can think of someone better."

"Silence!" Homura yelled, cutting off everyone. The moment it was quiet, he went on, directing his next question to Danzou. "Do you really believe this to be a wise course of action right now?"

"When do you believe would be a better time? Parts of the village are in shambles, the villagers are frightened. We've lost some of our best ninja. The time is now. Tsunade, with her skills, is much better suited to run the hospital than the village."

Homura sighed and looked over at Koharu. She looked at the entire room full of respected people. "Well then, shall we bring it to a vote?"

Shikaku took a moment to glance at his friend Inoichi. The blond raised a brow as if to say 'this isn't going to end well'. He sighed and muttered to himself. "What a drag."

--

--

_Edited 03/18/2010_

**a/n:** Ah, intrigue! Don't you just love it. Heh, I have two stories with Danzou just itching to take on the role of Hokage. I didn't give it to him in the other one. What will I do in this one? As for Tsunade, she knows the truth of things....what will she do? And Pein's going to Bird Country...Oh noes! Stay tuned....things are about to get crazy! Please leave a nice little review for me. They make me smile and write more.


	23. Peinful Ordeals

**a/n: **Thank you so much for your reviews. All of you are amazing for still hanging in with this story at 22 chapters and counting. Sorry I haven't answered the ones from the last chapter yet. I've been busy. I will get to them as soon as I can. Phew! This story has gotten long eh? I gotta give some props to **SasuNaru Fangirl Seme**. She's the only one who said something about the real implications of Pein heading towards Bird Country. Ahhh poor Aya! Well, hope you enjoy the new chapter. It's longer than I planned for it to be.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

**Warning: **Continuous warning for spoilers of future manga chapters.

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 22 - Peinful Ordeals  
**

* * *

--

**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

--

"Kakashi!" Sakura gasped in surprise and happiness. She jumped up and buzzed the nurse's station. While she waited for the flood of medics that would show up, she checked his vitals. "I was so worried. We weren't so sure you would make it."

The copy ninja grunted in reply, still quite a bit disoriented. And thirsty. At that moment, Ino and two other medics came running in.

"He's awake!" Sakura announced. Which was, obviously, unneeded since the newcomers could see that much with their own eyes. Ino rolled her eyes.

"Forehead, I thought you were supposed to be leaving."

"Yeah, I was, but then..." She gestured at her ex-sensei.

While the other medics began to check him over, Ino made a show of pushing a reluctant Sakura out of the room. "Go alert Tsunade-sama. Then go home! I mean it Sakura."

"But Ino..."

"Go! You know Tsunade-sama is going to spend forever checking him and he's probably too tired and weak to talk anyway. He'll be awake and ready to receive visitors by the time you come back for your shift in the afternoon."

Sakura growled at the blonde, even though she knew her friend was right. "Well..." She hesitated, taking one last look back at her awakened sensei. "Alright."

* * *

"All those voting in favor of Danzou's motion?" Five hands rose. Danzou, Homura, Koharu, and the two civilian reps.

"Opposed?" Five more hands rose. Hyuuga, Aburame, Yamanaka, Nara, Inuzuka.

"Hmm. Looks like it's a split decision."

The door opened to reveal a jounin ninja.

"You are interrupting a closed session!" The elders and Danzou didn't bother to hide their annoyance at the untimely interruption. Especially Koharu, who hated being interrupted.

"I apologize, but a member of the Akimichi clan is asking for admittance."

"Who?"

The jounin stepped aside and in walked a slightly nervous, but determined, Chouji.

Danzou saw the boy and immediately stood. He couldn't let the council accept him. That boy would ruin everything. "I'm sorry, but we are in the middle of a vote. He can't possibly be admitted right now."

"All the more reason for him to be here then." Hiashi noted. "The Akimichi clan has had a long standing place on the council. Therefore a representative should be here and have a chance to vote."

"But he isn't old enough to represent the clan! It should be someone with more experience. Besides, his emotions right now might cloud his judgment." The two remaining members of the original Shika-Ino-Cho team glared at Danzou at the inference to their friend's unfortunate end, as well as his slight toward the man's son.

Before another argument could be made, Chouji stepped in. "If I may...With all due respect, were each of us not considered adults the moment we entered the ninja ranks? That's what my sensei told my team the first day we became genin. I may not be as old in years as the rest of you, but over the last six years, I've seen more than my share of death. I've killed to protect my friends, my family, my village. I watched my father fight for this place and was there fighting with him when he died. My father would want me to do my best to follow in his footsteps and do what's best for Konoha. That is why I am here."

Inoichi and Shikaku looked on proudly. Even Homura couldn't help but smile at the boy's...no, man's...mature answer. In just those few words, the boy proved himself to be a man. He gave the younger Akimichi a nod of assent and gestured toward the empty place normally filled by the Akimichi head.

"Take a seat." He said simply. Chouji bowed slightly and took a seat in between his father's teammates. Shikaku clapped a hand on his shoulder and Inoichi gave him a smirk.

Danzou sat down, silently seething at this newest development. His hopes to finally become Hokage were immediately dashed by the entrance of that boy.

"Well then, I guess for your benefit, we will have to give you a synopsis of the proceedings before we return to the vote." Koharu stated to all, but directed toward Chouji.

* * *

Back in their henges, Naruto and Sasuke trekked through the nighttime forest with scrolls and katanas on their backs. Naruto followed his fellow brunet, who led the way toward some unknown destination. "Te- Kioshi, where are we going?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's almost slip. At least they would only have to keep that up until they got where they were going. Then he smirked. "You'll see when we get there."

Naruto pouted and grumbled about secretive bastards. Sasuke chuckled, which made Naruto smile. He never tired of hearing his friend's laughter. Sasuke did it so little before. After what seemed like forever in Naruto's eyes - although in reality it was only fifteen minutes or so - Sasuke stopped in the middle of a field. Naruto looked around at the large area bathed in moonlight. It looked like any other training field.

"Welcome to the secret Uchiha training grounds." Sasuke announced, sweeping both arms out at the wide area. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"I swear, everything's a secret to you people." Naruto mumbled with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, it looks like any other training ground to me. What's so special?"

Sasuke tsked and shook his head. "Dobe...it's a _secret_ training ground. There's a barrier around to dampen the feel of chakra. No one will know that were here or what we're doing out here. We could do a lower level chidori and rasengan if we wanted to and no one in Konoha would ever feel it."

Naruto grinned at that. "That's pretty awesome!"

"Hn." Sasuke walked to the other end of the clearing and placed the scroll on the ground. Naruto did the same, as well as unwrapped his Seishinryoku. It gleamed with the moonlight, giving it a sinister feel. Sasuke pulled his Kusanagi from it's place at his back and met Naruto in the middle of the field. He gave Naruto a smirk.

"Ready?"

"Yep." Naruto chimed back. Side by side, they began their katas. They were both slightly rusty from not having done any training in the past week. Of course, Sasuke made up for it with his fluidity of movement that Naruto knew he couldn't even come close to rivaling. It didn't bother him so much anymore though...grace would never come easy for him. The fact that he could finally get through the entire routine without looking like a complete imbecile anymore was good enough for him. Besides, what he lacked in grace with his sword, he made up for with power behind the movements. Once they'd both gotten through the katas, they started sparring. Though neither mentioned it aloud, they liked sparring best. They could let everything out with their kicks and punches. They never bothered with jutsus when they sparred anymore. It was all taijutsu...maybe some weapons included every once in a while for some variety, but they were perfectly happy just to knock each other around.

Once they tired each other out, and got enough bumps and bruises, they took a break and laid out on the grass looking up at the stars above them. Naruto wondered if his mother and Sasuke's parents were looking down on them. That thought made him ask the question that had been on both their minds since they'd found out the truth.

"So, what now?"

Sasuke looked over at his counterpart. He still found it weird to look over at someone who was a brunette and a girl and yet know it was his blond friend underneath the henge. But as for the question, it was one he really didn't have an answer to yet. They had the whole truth now. It was what they had been looking for. It was why they came back. But they'd never actually discussed how they would proceed once they found their answers. Once upon a time, he'd been thinking of revenge. Now though, he really wasn't sure what to do.

"I don't know."

* * *

"Do you have any questions?" Koharu asked the young Akimichi who had been thrust into the role of clan head.

"No ma'am." Chouji replied quietly. He took a deep breath and sat back in his seat with his arms crossed to ponder over what he'd just heard. Suddenly, he had been put in the middle of a delicate political situation. He really hadn't had much training in politics. Sure, his father had talked to him about some of the responsibilities that would be on his shoulders when the time ever came for him to take on the role of clan head. He just never thought he would have to apply those words so soon. Quite frankly, he was surprised at the amount of political scheming that he seemed to be caught in. While not anywhere near as smart as his best friend, he really couldn't miss the tension that was building between council members. It was almost a tangible breathing thing that made him gasp for breath when he first entered the room. His father had never really mentioned much of what went on at the council meetings. He would notice how tense the man would be when he'd come home from them sometimes, but he never wanted to talk about it. He always figured it was because of confidentiality. But now he wondered if it was just a need to talk about something happier...something other than the stress of political wrangling that went on unseen to everyone in the village.

It was pretty easy to see why his father would be so stressed.

"Now that Akamichi-san has been informed of the specifics of this meeting, let us proceed with the final vote." All nodded in agreement.

"Those in favor?" Homura asked. The same hands rose again. A total of five.

"Those opposed?" The hands rose. Hyuuga, Aburame, Yamanaka, Nara, Inuzuka, and Akamichi. Six.

Koharu sighed, not happy with the outcome, but there was nothing for it. "It seems the vote is in favor of the opposed. Tsunade will remain in her position for the time being."

Danzou's anger blazed, but he hid it by looking down and gripping his cane with such force, if he did it long enough, the wood might turn to sawdust.

"This night has been long. While there is more to be discussed, we will adjourn this meeting for now and discuss the rest at a later date." Homura dismissed everyone. Each member nodded and rose, leaving the council chambers behind.

The moment Chouji was out of the building, he let out a deep sigh of relief. That had to be the most terrifying, unnerving thing he'd ever been through. He'd rather be on an A-ranked mission than be in there.

And then there was a clap on his shoulder and a hand ruffling his hair. On one side stood Shikaku, on the other stood Inoichi. "You did well." Shikaku stated with a lazy smirk.

"Yes, your father would be proud." Inoichi added. Chouji gave them a watery smile at the thought of his father.

"Thank you." Both males gave him an encouraging smile. Chouji knew then that, although it would be very different for him and his mother, they would be ok. Their friends would be there for them.

* * *

"Tsunade-shishou!" Sakura didn't bother with protocol, opening the doors to her office, waking the woman from her sake induced slumber. The blonde head jolted up off of the desk and she growled, planning to beat to a pulp whoever had woken her up, until she saw her student standing in front of her. Her eyes immediately cleared of their haziness, now completely alert.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Kakashi. He's awake!" Tsunade jumped up grabbing her jacket.

"I'll be right over." She looked at Sakura as they were walking out the door together. One couldn't miss the dark circles under the pale skin. The girl had been awake too long again. "Sakura, go home. I'm sure I can handle an awake Kakashi."

"But..." Sakura almost pouted. She was hoping that, just maybe, she could slip back into the hospital despite Ino's command. And now Tsunade had just told her the same thing. So much for that idea.

"No buts! You can see him in the morning."

Sakura sighed sadly. "Yes shishou." Tsunade disappeared and Sakura, forced to go home, slowly deflated. It was while slowly trudging to her apartment that her adrenaline wore off and she finally realized how tired she really was. Once she locked her door, she yawned and stretched as she walked to her bedroom. She was too tired to even bothering with a shower. So, she stripped off her clothing, put on her pajamas and crawled under her covers. Within minutes, she was sound asleep.

--

At the hospital, Tsunade made her way into the copy-ninja's room, loudly taking command of the small group gathered there. "Everyone out but Ino and..." She looked at the unfamiliar girl with red hair. "You! You stay." The girl's eyes widened and she nodded, too intimidated to say anything else.

Ino passed over the chart and the three females went over the man's vitals. After a few nods, Ino and the red-haired medic left Tsunade alone in the room.

Tsunade turned to the unmasked Kakashi and shook her head as she walked closer and stood next to the bed. "Sometimes I think you're more trouble than you're worth."

Kakashi attempted to move but she stopped him with a glare. "Don't even think about moving from that bed. You're not leaving. You're in no shape for it." For a moment, he thought about rebelling, but ended up relenting. He was still exhausted. His body was shaking with just the slightest movements, so there was no way he could go anywhere. He watched as her hands began to glow with green chakra that examined him from head to toe. Once she had assessed his condition, she sat down with a sigh.

"Well, it looks like you'll recover and be back to normal in a couple of days. Although, I would suggest you don't use your sharingan for a while. You put a lot of strain on it." He nodded before opening his mouth to talk, but ended up coughing. His throat was too parched. Tsunade got up and poured him a cup of water and handed it to him. "Slowly, alright?"

He nodded and with shaking hands sipped on the water, the liquid immediately soothing his dry throat. "Chouza? Chouji?" he asked.

Tsunade glanced away with a sigh before looking back. "Chouji's fine. And Chouza...He...He didn't make it." Kakashi looked down, feeling quite a bit guilty. He knew it was the life of a ninja. They all knew the risks when they entered the ranks. He'd seen so many losses over the years that he figured he would be numb to it by now, but it always hurt. And he felt worse knowing that the two had come to assist him. Now Chouji was left without a father.

"There's nothing you could've done Kakashi." She knew what he was thinking and feeling, having felt the same way herself more times than she could count. She stood up and walked over to the I.V. and shot something into it. It was something to help him sleep. She smiled slightly at the man. "Get some rest. We'll talk more tomorrow." He nodded and closed his eye as the drugs slowly entered his system.

"Oh one more thing. Could you get me a new mask?" Tsunade shook her head. The man was unbelievable.

"Yeah...sure." After that it wasn't long before he gave into sleep. She watched the expression change from troubled to peaceful and, with a nod, she left the room.

* * *

Aya was up at first light. While she no longer had her two sensei there to train her, they left her lots of medical jutsus and promised to come back one day. She wanted them to be proud of her progress when they returned, so she trained hard every day. This day was no exception. She was tired, but happy that she'd gotten another jutsu under her belt. After her early morning training in the woods at her sensei's home, she ambled through the village, watching the vendors set up their booths. Her stomach growled and she started skipping along at a bit quicker pace. She knew her mother would have breakfast ready for her by the time she got back.

The smiling young teen had no idea how much her life was about to change.

--

Pein and his six companions sped through the woods. They had already gone through the peaks and valleys along the borders of Bird Country and were now closing in on a small village. He was prepared to go through every village in the country if he had to in order to find the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. At the edge of the forest, along the treeline, the cloaked group stopped. He observed the quiet village and searched out the nine-tails chakra. Upon not feeling it, he nodded to the group and, as one, they went forward before splitting off in different directions upon reaching the village.

Aya sat with her mother at the kitchen table eating breakfast when they heard a scream. Both of them jumped up and ran outside. Ahead of them they saw a man in a black cloak dotted with red clouds. His hand was on top of their neighbor's head. Another man they knew was already slumped to the ground. It didn't take much to assume the man was dead. The cloaked figure's voice sent a shiver up Aya's spine.

"Where is the nine-tails jinchuuriki?" he asked.

"W-Who? What?" The man asked trembling in fear.

"Uzumaki Naruto...Where is he?"

Aya never heard the man's answer, but she slapped a hand over her mouth to stop the gasp at the familiar name. Her eyes went wide and she looked at her mother. As all mothers will do in the worst situations, she took charge and calmly, but quickly, pulled her daughter back into the house. It wasn't quickly enough to avoid seeing their neighbor slump down, the same as the other. Aya trembled in fear. She wasn't stupid. Obviously the man was a ninja, a powerful one at that. And he seemed to have no qualms about killing anyone. She also knew that only two people in this village knew exactly who Naruto was by name. And they were standing together in the same room. Fortunately, Naruto never told them where he and Sasuke were heading, but did that really matter under the circumstances? If that man got a hold of them, they would die.

Aya was turned to face her mother and was suddenly crushed in a hug. "You need to hide." Aya's eyes turned panicked.

"But what about you? I can't leave you here."

"Aya, you're the only one that ca-" A crash stopped them. Their door had flown open and the same cloaked person they'd seen outside stalked towards them.

"Where is Uzumaki Naruto?" Both of them started backing up, but they really had nowhere to go. Aya's mother bravely stepped in front of daughter.

"There is no one by that name in this village." She turned her head slightly toward her daughter and mouthed one word.

"Run!" Tears fell down the young girl's face and she shook her head. The man started moving closer.

"Go. They need you." Aya bit her lip. She wasn't sure who exactly she meant by 'they', whether she meant the village or Naruto and Sasuke, but the impact was immediate. She looked at her mother one last time, praying it wouldn't be the last time she saw her, and turned away running into the bedroom ahead of her. She didn't turning back, even when she heard her mother cry out. If she looked back, she wouldn't leave, and then she'd be no help at all. She started clumsily going through hand signs that she hadn't practiced since the day she learned them. Sasuke showed her how to do Shunshin no Jutsu once, but she never practiced it again after that day because she was busy with her medical jutsus. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on where she wanted to be as she did her last hand sign. She felt a weird lurching feeling in her stomach before ending up somewhere much quieter. Hesitantly opening her eyes, she sighed in relief as she found herself in her sensei's house. Immediately masking her chakra, as she had been taught, she sat in the corner where there were no windows, just in case. She could still hear the sounds of destruction in the distance and knew she would be unable to do anything until it was all over.

Curling up into a ball on the floor, Aya could do nothing but cry.

--

The paths and Konan met outside the village. While the human path was able to find out that the nine-tails had been there, they received no information as to his current whereabouts. Konan looked at the partially destroyed village with a blank face.

"What should we do now Nagato?"

Pein looked at her calmly. "We will return to Amegakure."

Konan glanced at her partner. "Madara won't be happy."

"It doesn't matter. I am a god. He cannot hurt me. He will just have to be more patient." With those last words, the seven of them disappeared, leaving death and destruction in their wake.

* * *

The clicking of heels woke Kakashi from his slumber. He yawned before opening his one eye, letting the blurred hazy picture take focus from a blob of pink into the more distinct form of Sakura. She was smiling at him and he could easily see the relief in her eyes.

"Good afternoon Kakashi-sensei. How are you feeling?" She asked while looking over his vitals.

"B-Better." He tried to clear his throat. It was too dry. Sakura brought him a cup of water.

"Drink a little, but not too much...at least not yet." He sipped enough to wet his parched throat and then nodded at Sakura in thanks. She smiled and put the cup on the tray. She couldn't help but remember the days when she and the boys had tried to find out what was behind that dreaded mask. At least she could say that she was ahead of Naruto and Sasuke in something. She had seen the copy ninja unmasked. And she had no problem admitting that he looked quite handsome without it. Shaking off the bit of leftover fangirl, she focused her attention back on her patient. "So, how's your eye?" Kakashi looked away. "And don't bother lying Kakashi-sensei. You took a lot of damage to it, so I would be surprised if it didn't bother you." He attempted a glare at his ex-student. But she wasn't intimidated at all. With a sigh, he gave in.

"It stings...a little." His voice still sounded raspy, but better.

"Uh huh." She was about to go on when they were interrupted by another guest.

"Ah...I see you're awake." Tsunade moved forward and methodically checked his injuries. After a few minutes, the task was completed and she straightened. "You're healing nicely. If you cooperate - which means rest and not antagonize anyone - I'll let you leave tomorrow. And don't forget, NO SHARINGAN. You could've gone blind after that last stunt."

"Yeah, well I didn't have much of a choice at the time. I don't plan on doing that again anytime soon." He glanced over at Sakura and suddenly remembered their mission. "Sakura...why are you here? What happened?"

Sakura glanced at him then looked away. She knew what he was asking. "We saw him...close to the borders of Wind Country."

Kakashi nodded. If she was here, then... He couldn't help but chuckle. Most unpredictable ninja indeed. "He gave you the slip didn't he?" Sakura nodded, still looking down. "Sakura, don't worry. You know how Naruto is." Sakura, who was too busy thinking, didn't respond to his statement. Instead she sighed a bit wistfully and looked at Kakashi with a bit of a sad smile.

"Sasuke...he was with him too." Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't heard anything about the last Uchiha since the word came of Itachi's demise. He wondered how those two met up.

"Really? That is interesting."

"I don't know where they are now. They went across the water and Pakkun couldn't track them. I just hope they'll be ok." Sakura sighed. Kakashi caught Tsunade's eye and he saw something there. He knew something was up by the way her hazel eyes lit up. But he knew he couldn't ask until Sakura was gone.

"I'm sure together they'll be fine. They always did work well together...when they weren't arguing, of course. Alone, the two are dangerous. Together, they're probably almost unbeatable." He watched the girl give him a smile and nod. She'd seen evidence of that when the two came out of nowhere and saved her and Sai.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I'm going to punch some sense into both of them the next time I see them, though. They tricked me! Anyways, I guess I better go check on my other patients. I'm sure Tsunade-shishou will grill you enough." Kakashi rolled his eye at the prospect and Sakura giggled as she said goodbye and walked out.

The moment she closed the door, Kakashi raised a brow at the Godaime. "Well?"

She sat down in the chair next to the bed. "Well what?" She asked with a smirk.

"What doesn't Sakura know? You're keeping something from her."

"Oh, nothing much..." A slow smirk made it's way onto the copy ninja's face.

"You know where he is don't you?"

Tsunade grinned and crossed her arms over her ample bosom. "Maybe."

"You're not going to make me sit here and guess are you? I'm too tired for games."

"Aww, you're no fun." Tsunade teased while her hands flashed through signs for a privacy jutsu.

"So where is he?"

"You mean they?"

"Fine, they."

"Would you believe me if I said in Konoha?" Kakashi looked incredulous for a moment before taking on his usual lazy apathetic look.

"Why would they be in Konoha? And how is it that no one has seen them?"

"Information and a very advanced henge, obviously."

"Obviously..." He chuckled. "Information huh? What kind of information?" She was being too damn cryptic for his doped up brain.

"Information about the past."

_'Oh.'_ thought Kakashi, who immediately blanched at the unmistakable implications. "So...has he found out anything yet?"

"Yes. Apparently, he took advantage of the chaotic state of the village. He took everything."

"Everything?" Kakashi asked, his eye narrowed. "Even..." Tsunade nodded.

"Yes, he even got into that...He is a sealmaster like his father, after all."

Kakashi sighed and ran a hand through his silver spikes. "How angry is he?"

"Angry enough. But he didn't kill me, so I'm sure he'll forgive you too...eventually."

"Wonderful. Thanks for the vote of confidence." He said with sarcasm.

Tsunade got up and smirked at the man, then walked over to the door. "Naruto wants to talk to you. Be prepared to receive a visit tonight or tomorrow."

Kakashi groaned.

"Oh...and here." She reached into her pocket and tossed him some cloth, then left him to himself.

He sighed. Well, if nothing else, he had his mask back.

* * *

The moon was high in the sky as Naruto and Sasuke, in henge, made their way around Konoha towards the hospital. Tsunade had already given them the room number they needed. Visiting hours, of course, ended a few hours ago, so they would have to sneak in.

They looked around, noticing that the village was already well on its way to recovering from the attack. Frames for new houses were already up and most of the debris had been removed. Naruto felt a bit of nostalgia as he walked through his old home. He smiled slightly as they passed the academy. Maybe he could check on Iruka one day. The nostalgia was tempered with a bittersweet feeling when he caught sight of the familiar swing that he'd spent many a day on alone. They passed his apartment building which he was only slightly dismayed to see was abandoned and crumbling. It wasn't like many people had lived there anyway...no one wanted to live close to the Kyuubi vessel. He was kind of surprised that the place hadn't self-imploded during the Akatsuki attack.

They passed Ichiraku's and Sasuke couldn't help the un-Uchiha-like snort that escaped him. Naruto's eyes widened at first, then turned into a glare as, for the first time, he heard the other male's thoughts. He wondered if Sasuke could hear his.

_'Shut it teme.'_

_'What? I didn't say anything.'_ Well, that proved him correct. Sasuke did his best to keep his innocent facade and not smirk.

_'Oh get that look off your face. You act like I never ate anywhere else.'_ Sasuke turned and raised a brow. Naruto growled and walked faster leaving the chuckling Uchiha behind. _'Bastard.'_

_'You know, you can go as fast and as far as you want, I can still talk to you dobe.'_

_'I knew I shouldn't have let you convince me to mix our blood together.'_

Sasuke grinned and caught up with his friend, throwing an arm over the female shoulder.

_'Teme? What the...Get off me.'_ Naruto shrugged the shoulder away. _'That's just creepy...even for you.'_

_'What? I can't show affection for my sister?'_ Sasuke smirked and pulled at the brown ponytail before jogging off. He loved getting a rise out of the dobe.

_'Teme! Get back here! I'm gonna kick your ass!'_ Naruto ran after him.

They chased each other at a slow pace so as not to alert anyone and got to the steps of the hospital breathing slightly harder than normal. Naruto could only grin at his best friend. At that moment he felt a sense of peace and freedom that he knew only being around Sasuke could provide. Sasuke smiled back with that tiny shift of lips that all the girls in Konoha would probably faint over if they saw. Too bad Naruto seemed to be the only one that could bring it out.

"Come on _'Akira'_. Let's get this over with."

The duo silently made their way through the hospital, avoiding the various medics, and,at times, slipping into dark corners to avoid detection. Finally they found the room they were looking for and looked both ways down the hall before slipping in silently. Sasuke performed a privacy jutsu while Naruto turned on the light above Kakashi's bed. Naruto grinned down at the masked man, an idea suddenly rising from the ashes of his childhood.

_'Hey teme? We can finally see what he looks like under the mask.'_ His fingers hovered right above the sleeping man's face.

_'Idiot, I bet he isn't even asleep.'_

Naruto's fingers twitched and made to yank down the mask when a hand was suddenly around his wrist. He jumped and almost yelled out in surprise. He looked down into a dark eye which began to narrow. Sasuke walked over and stood next to him with a superior smirk on his face.

_'Usuratonkachi...I told you.'_

_'Shut up.'_

Kakashi glanced at one and then the other. Neither the male or female looked familiar. At first, he thought it may have been an enemy. But if the only thing the two were interested in was what was under his mask, he knew he didn't have to worry. Still, he didn't let the wrist go yet. He had a feeling he knew who these two were, even though he couldn't detect their chakra at all. The Godaime had already warned him that they would come. The expressions on the two faces went a long way in telling him which one was whom under the henges. And if his hunch was correct, it was slightly disturbing that Naruto looked so good as a female.

"Well, it sure is nice of two of my ex-students to come visit me while I recuperate, even if you don't look like yourselves." he drawled in a slightly less raspy voice than he had earlier in the day.

The two boys stopped talking to each other in their minds and stared down at their old sensei, surprised that he'd figured it out. "H-how? How could you know?" Naruto asked. Sasuke just glared.

Kakashi only smirked. He was not about to tell them that he had been expecting them already. He let go of the small wrist and Naruto plopped down into the seat with a pout on his lips that Kakashi had to look away from. Damn hormones. He needed his book. "And what special occasion would cause two of my students, who I remember not being able to sit in the same room without being at each other's throats, to see me in the middle of the night in a henge?"

Naruto looked away for a moment at the question. He had stopped being angry at Kakashi. The man had helped him quite a lot over the last few years, after all. So it kind of made up for his neglect of him when he was younger. But finding out that he had known about his heritage all these years and never said a word about it hurt him. He felt Sasuke grab his hand and give it a squeeze before letting it go. It was all he needed to get his scrambled thoughts together and with a sigh he turned back to Kakashi and looked him in the eye. The intensity in those orbs, while not his usual blue, was enough to make Kakashi want to turn away to avoid them.

"Were you ever planning to tell me the truth?" he asked.

Kakashi ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. He'd been doing that quite a lot since he'd been awake. It was just like Naruto to get right down to the heart of things. "I couldn't tell you. Your identity was an S-class secret. Only the hokage had the authority to tell you the truth."

"What happened to what you said about not looking out for your comrades making you worse than trash?" Naruto mumbled. Kakashi heard though and felt his heart stop briefly at the words he'd used so long ago. He'd never said it aloud, but over the years, they'd become so close that Naruto had become almost like a young brother or nephew to him. And he felt bad that his silence had hurt him. He also felt a nagging fear that Naruto just might hate him.

"Is that what you think of me Naruto?" he asked softly.

"No! I...it's just..." Naruto sighed and looked down, clenching his hands into fists in his lap as he tried to work out his frustrations enough to put them into words. "You don't know what it feels like. How would you feel if you found out something so important had been kept from you all your life by people who are supposed to be considered family? We worked with each other for years and you never even hinted at it. Ero-sennin and I traveled together for three years, saw each other night and day, and he never said a word about it. And the old man just plain lied to me. All of you would say it was for my own good, but it just hurts that I was kept in the dark for all of these years. You know?"

Kakashi wasn't sure what to say. He felt guilty, of course. But he was only following orders. He glanced at the henged Sasuke who was giving him a murderous glare that was translated as fix things...now. He sighed. He was no good at these kinds of things. "Naruto I'm...sorry. I know there really isn't anything I can do about what happened in the past. But, I can make up for it now. I know I've never said it before, but you're probably the closest thing to family I have. All of you actually. Even you Sasuke." Both sets of brown eyes widened at the unlikely confession. "Naruto, there are times when you remind me so much of Minato-sensei that I almost feel like I'm back in the past. Speaking of which, I have a few of his things stashed away at my apartment. I'm sure you'll probably want them now that you know."

Naruto gave him a teasing look that covered over the still slightly hurt features. "Are you trying to bribe me Kakashi-sensei?"

"Did it work?"

He shook his head and chuckled. "Yeah fine...only because I want my father's stuff. AND..." Kakashi gulped. "You better tell me everything about him. You and baa-chan are probably the only ones who can now." He smiled under his mask, quite a bit relieved that Naruto didn't hate him.

"I think I can manage that." He then turned to the other stoic male who was, at least, no longer glaring at him with the promise of death. It seems the Uchiha had become quite protective since he'd last seen him.

"So Sasuke, I'm surprised to see you here."

"Hn." Kakashi rolled his eyes. It figured the former leaf nin would still be going by monosyllables.

"I never thought I'd see you and Naruto inhabit the same room amicably, let alone see you back in Konoha at all. You had pretty much sworn off ever coming back."

"Yeah, well, the dobe wouldn't take no for an answer. Besides, I had my own answers to find." Sasuke was slightly surprised to see the confusion briefly flash through the dark eye. He guessed it was true after all. If Kakashi, an ex-anbu captain didn't know about the truth of the Uchiha massacre, it only stood to reason that the rest of the village didn't know. Actually, he was relieved by that fact. It reinforced how right he was in not following Madara and his ideas to destroy the village.

Kakashi wondered what Sasuke had been looking for. Probably something clan related, knowing him. He decided not to ask though, hoping the young man would elaborate. He didn't. But that wasn't exactly a surprise. When had Sasuke actually volunteered any information? He remembered it being a chore just to get the boy to say more than two words in sequence.

"You know Sakura would kill you if she knew you two were here. She's upset that you gave her the slip."

"Yeah, well, our agendas didn't exactly coincide. She wanted us to get away from Konoha. We needed to come back." Naruto said with a shrug.

"Well, at least you're no longer in Bird Country."

"Why? No wait...how did you know we were in Bird Country?"

"Your letters and Pakkun's nose."

"Ah."

"And I'm glad because-" A knock was heard at the door. Naruto and Sasuke tensed.

"Don't worry brats, it's just me." Came the familiar female voice and she briefly flared her chakra as confirmation. Naruto nodded at the familiar feeling and glanced at Sasuke. He unlocked the door and pulled it open.

Tsunade walked in and closed the door. She did a quick check on Kakashi then looked over at the two guests.

"So, you get what you wanted?" Naruto gave her a nod. He had forgotten they were interrupted. Sasuke didn't though.

"What were you saying Kakashi?"

"Oh...yes, about Bird Country. Actually, it's a good thing you're here Hokage-sama. I won't have to repeat this again. I know you want to hear what happened to me. Well, I'm still not exactly sure, but I can tell you that the first body that I fought was the one that did the most damage physically. He was very powerful. The other one, though, is the one that was in my head. It kept searching through my brain looking for the information it wanted. No matter how hard I tried to keep it buried, he forced his way around until he found it and forcibly extracted it. It was excruciatingly painful. It was like he was trying to suck out my soul and I couldn't do anything to stop it. If not for Chouza and Chouji I doubt I would be here right now."

Tsunade nodded while Naruto and Sasuke just stared at the copy ninja. Both of them were beginning to have a really bad feeling. A sense of dread filled them and neither knew which of them it came from. Or maybe the emotion came from both of them.

"Hmm..." The hokage's brow furrowed in thought. "I think it's safe to assume it's one of his techniques. About 20 or so others that died were examined and the autopsy concluded that they died from some sort of hypoxic brain injury." She looked around at the blank and confused faces. "Oh fine, simply speaking, lack of blood and chakra flow to the brain. It would make sense that he would block the flow in order to gain whatever he needed to know without being inhibited. But of course, the examination doesn't reveal anything about the soul, obviously. But it would explain how someone would die so quickly. The technique basically involves forcibly cutting off the chakra in their entire body and ripping it out. If that's the case, you're fortunate to be alive." She concluded. Kakashi nodded. Sasuke grew even more anxious and he didn't need to even look at Naruto to know how alarmed he was. He hated to even ask, but he knew he had to.

"What did he want to know?"

Naruto silently prayed to any god that would hear that it wasn't what he was thinking.

Kakashi looked away from Tsunade and glanced at Sasuke, then at Naruto. He felt more guilt wash over him at the knowledge that he couldn't keep the answer from Pein.

"The location of the nine-tailed fox." He closed his eye. Sasuke and Naruto paled. It didn't take a genius to know where Pein probably headed after he left Konoha. Naruto jumped up. The chair he was sitting in fell over with a crash.

"No..." he breathed as he backed into the wall. His hands started shaking. What he'd always feared from the very beginning was about to come true. It was all his fault. And there was no way he could stop it.

"Naruto? What's wrong?" Tsunade asked worriedly. He turned panicked brown eyes toward her.

"I-I have to go." He flashed through hand signs.

"Wait!" Naruto disappeared. She turned her eyes to Sasuke who wasn't looking so good either. "What is going on Uchiha?"

Sasuke could feel Naruto's chaotic thoughts as easily as his own. He was on his way to the Uchiha compound right now and he had probably only a minute before he would have to leave and catch up with him. Naruto wasn't going to waste any time. He didn't have much time to explain. "Naruto...he didn't want anyone to get hurt because of him. He never even told most of the people there his real name, just in case. Now everyone there is in danger...exactly what he had hoped to avoid. Pein will tear the place apart looking for him. We have to go." Before she could say anything else he was gone.

* * *

Naruto scrambled around. grabbing every weapon he could find and other supplies he might need. A couple of minutes later, Sasuke was right behind him, much more calmly gathering his things. However, the feelings he was getting from the dobe were causing him to feel panicked as well. When he couldn't take it anymore, he grabbed Naruto by the shoulders and stared into his tortured eyes.

"Naruto...calm down. They'll be fine."

"But what if they-"

"And you're supposed to be the king of looking at the bright side. Dobe, they'll be fine. _She'll_ be fine."

They stared at each other for a long moment, Sasuke willing Naruto with his dark eyes to calm down. Finally, Naruto sighed and slumped against him and leaned his forehead on Sasuke's shoulder. He felt exhausted emotionally and they hadn't even left yet. Sasuke ran his fingers soothingly through the long brown hair, in some part of his head wishing it was blonde right now. He didn't bother addressing the random thoughts of blame he could hear floating through the dobe's mind. He'd have to deal with that later.

"You ready?" he asked, straightening up and holding him back. Naruto took a deep breath and let it out.

"Yeah."

"Wait!" They both turned at the command. Tsunade stood behind them with a glare and hands on her hips. "I won't let you two go alone."

"You can't stop us." Sasuke said with a glare.

"Actually I can. You're still a traitor. I can have you arrested on the spot. And you," She turned to Naruto, "were forbidden to step foot here again. I can have you arrested as well. Don't think I can't have ANBU on your trail with the snap of a finger."

"Baa-chan, please! We don't have time for this." Naruto said clenching his hands into fists at his sides. Sasuke glared at the woman, figuring she was bluffing. He wanted to call her on it, but he could feel Naruto's desperation, and it caused him to keep his mouth shut. Besides, if she wasn't bluffing, they didn't have time to deal with ANBU following them.

"I will allow you to leave as long as you take a medic with you and promise to come back." Tsunade proposed. Both males glared at her. Sasuke already had a feeling who she had in mind to send with them.

"No."

She grinned sadistically at the Uchiha, knowing he understood who she meant. "Yes Uchiha, or no deal. Besides, even if you know medical jutsu, you may need the extra help." His eyes narrowed. Dammit, she had a point.

"She's right Sasuke. If anybody is really seriously injured, I can only do so much with my chakra control." Naruto conceded. Sasuke growled, his eyes flashing red for just a moment, before giving in.

"Fine. We'll be just beyond the gates. She has five minutes to get there or we'll leave without her. She falls behind at all, we leave her. We don't have time for someone to slow us down."

Tsunade nodded and disappeared.

--

Sakura screamed and jumped into a defensive stance as a person suddenly appeared in her room.

"Sakura, stand down, it's just me."

"Oh kami, you scared me shishou." She replied as she relaxed and held her hand over her pounding heart.

"No time for that. You're going on a mission right now. You have five...no four minutes to gather all of your supplies and get to the gate."

"WHAT?! That's not enough time." She scrambled to get dressed.

"It'll have to be." Tsunade looked around as Sakura practically killed herself trying to hurry.

"What's going on?"

"No time. They'll tell you on the way." She grabbed the girl's medical supplies and her weapons pouch. When Sakura was ready she tossed the items to her.

"Who?"

"Go before they leave you!"

"Wait! Tell Lee-"

"Yes, I'll tell him. Now go!" Tsunade proceeded to practically toss her out the window. If Sakura wasn't still half asleep, she'd have been more pissed. Instead she landed and ran off toward the gates and her newest mission.

--

Two cloaked figures, now unhenged, waited just beyond the gates. Naruto fidgeted impatiently while Sasuke stood calmly, although he kept track of the time. He wasn't lying to Tsunade when he said they would leave without their teammate if she took too long. He glanced over at his agitated friend. He almost wanted to laugh, even under the circumstances. It was exactly something the old Naruto would do. It was good to know that some things never changed.

"You know who she's going to send don't you?"

Naruto stopped fidgeting and looked at him blankly.

"Think about it."

Naruto didn't have a chance to.

Sakura ran past the gates looking back and forth for her spur of the moment teammates, whoever they might be. When she saw the two cloaked figures standing off to the side waiting, she gasped.

At the sound, both figures turned to her and the moon highlighted their features, proving her assumption to be correct. Naruto sent a weary smile toward the pinkette and waved.

"Hey Sakura."

--

--

_Edited 03/19/2010_

**a/n:** I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. It just feels choppy to me. I do like the last part though. XD Ah well, I hope you enjoyed it. The good news is, I will be trying my hardest to finish this story. I'd estimate that there's about 10 or so chapters left. The bad news is that means some of my other stories might be taking a back seat while I finish this. That doesn't mean they won't get updated. It just probably won't be as often. Anyways, send me a quick review. Let me know what you think, give me any suggestions for how this thing ends, what you think might happen in the next chapter, whatever. I just like to hear from you. :) Until next time!


	24. The Return of Team 7

**a/n: **I'm back! All the glitches on the site set me back a few days, but I finally got this chapter done. And huge huge thank yous for your reviews. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and didn't think it was too choppy. There will be a bit less switching back and forth in this one but still lots of goings on. I hope you enjoy it. And no, Sakura doesn't get to beat them up yet. XD They won't give her the chance.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

**Warning: **Spoilers for future manga chapters. I hope you're keeping up.

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 23 - The Return of Team 7**

* * *

--

**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

--

The trip from Bird Country to Konoha took Naruto and Sasuke a week, including the breaks in between. Getting back to Bird Country would only take about two and a half days.

Poor Sakura never got the chance to knock sense into either one of them. Nor did she get an explanation as to why she was outside the village walls in the middle of the night. After Naruto waved, Sasuke had taken a brief glance at her, tossed her a cloak resembling theirs, warned her to keep up, and then they were off. It took everything she had to keep up with her two teammates. Only the worried and urgent vibes coming off of the two of them kept her from screaming her head off at them. Yes, at a certain point in her young life, she had finally learned that it was better sometimes to keep her mouth shut.

The sense of urgency had Naruto and Sasuke running at a pace that was almost inhuman. Sakura ended up having to resort to a soldier pill to keep up before they even got through Fire Country. They finally took a couple of breaks during the early morning and late afternoon hours when Sakura eventually had enough and broke her silence to threaten them with death if they didn't stop to at least let her eat and rest.

Apparently, it was too much for her to hope they would stop to eat and sleep before they left the borders of Fire Country. The males just kept running. It was too fast for her to continue to keep up. What she didn't know, though, was that even at his most stressed, Naruto still looked out for his favorite girl. With his enhanced hearing, he heard her laboring and knew she wouldn't be able to keep up with their grueling pace much longer. Shrugging off his pack, he glanced over at Sasuke who never even turned his head or lost his stride while holding out the pale hand in readiness. The bag was tossed to the raven, and Naruto slowed down just enough to grab Sakura, who squealed at the sudden shift, and placed her on his back with a quick warning to hold on as he sped ahead again.

Only when they were out of Fire Country and darkness settled over the land, did Naruto and Sasuke finally stop and set up camp. Sakura practically collapsed onto the ground, her legs were so tired even though she was carried the last part of the trip. She was happy that they did all the work, for she had no energy left to help them. All she really wanted to do was sleep, but she forced herself to stay awake. She refused to be left out of the loop any longer. Looking at the two males now sitting across from her, she finally said what was on her mind.

"What the hell kind of mission is this?! I get awakened in the middle of the night by Tsunade-sama, which scared me to death by the way, tells me I have only four minutes to meet my unknown teammates at the gate for a mission, and practically pushes me out my own window to hurry me up. And of all the people in the world, I didn't expect to see you two or that the mission would be with you. And how is that anyway? Neither of you are part of the village anymore. Anyways, then with hardly a word you run off at a pace I can hardly keep up with and make me beg you to take breaks. What is going on?" She glared at both of them. Then before the others could get a word in, she suddenly pointed at the blonde. "And you! You drugged me you idiot! If I wasn't so tired I'd come over there and knock you senseless. How dare you leave Sai and I behind without a word!"

Naruto and Sasuke just stared at the ranting woman, then they stared at each other. Sasuke raised a brow while Naruto shrugged. The blonde sighed and looked back at Sakura, who waited, with her arms crossed, for an answer.

"Well, let's start from the top shall we? We're on our way back to Bird Country." He held up a hand before she could ask why. "Because Pein found out that's where I was staying." Sakura's eyes went wide.

"But how could he have figured it out? The only people who knew were the three of us on the mi-" Sakura stopped, her mind putting the puzzle together. "Kakashi..."

Naruto nodded gravely. "One of Pein's bodies forcibly read his mind. He left after that and most likely headed there." Now Sakura understood the urgency. If her math was correct, they would be way too late to stop Pein. He had a good four day head start over them. And being that Konoha could hardly withstand the six bodied attack... She gasped, a hand raising to her mouth as she thought of a non-shinobi village being subjected to an attack by Pein.

"We'll be too late."

"I know. Kami, how I know." Naruto looked down. The guilt he felt increased. He was afraid of what he'd find when they reached Bird Country. He and Sasuke both knew the so called leader of Akatsuki would be long gone by the time they got there. Their mission would be to help the victims of the village they knew Pein would ravage in order to find the fox.

Silence dwelled over the group. Sakura was so busy musing over what she had just learned that she forgot all about the whole drugging issue. Now she understood why Tsunade sent her. She hoped it would not be the case, but there would most likely be a need for her medic skills when they reached their destination. Knowing now what was ahead of her, she said goodnight and settled into her sleeping bag. It didn't take long for her to succumb to sleep.

The next morning, the three were watching the sun rise over the horizon - while they were running. The first sounds and lights of dawn had announced the coming day and Naruto wasted no time rousing Sakura, who finally got a hit in on the blonde.

She called it a promise of things to come.

Naruto called it painful.

Now the team of three were speeding through River Country as the sun rose higher in the sky. They were hoping to reach Wind Country by the afternoon and rest again until nightfall. Naruto and Sasuke figured they could make it through most of the desert during the cool night so that they'd reach the borders of Bird Country by the time the heat of day set in.

By late afternoon, they stopped in a small clearing. It was the same clearing Naruto and Sasuke had passed out in after running for so long through the desert. Naruto set traps, Sasuke started the fire, and Sakura made some tea to go with their bland ration bars. Then they all slept. Surprisingly, this time, it was Sakura who woke up first. And she was quite surprised at the scene in front of her. Her teammates were pressed together, back to back, and yet the fact that Sasuke allowed Naruto to press that closely went a long way in showing her just how close the two had become. It also showed her how little she knew Sasuke. He'd always been so aloof and closed off back in Konoha. And he'd hated being touched by anyone. But, as always, Naruto had somehow found his way around those iron defenses of his.

It truly made her wonder...

The moon was the solitary witness to the trio running through the desert in the dead of night. It was chilly but thanks to the cloak, she didn't get too cold. Maybe eventually, she'd thank the boys for it.

Nah...

She was happy for the long rest she'd gotten because they didn't stop at all, even when they saw the sun rising over the sandy horizon. In fact, they upped the pace. She feared her muscles would be worn out by the time they reached Bird Country.

Sasuke had been silent for almost the entire trip. Normally he wouldn't worry and he'd deny it if anyone ever had the nerve to ask, but he glanced back at Sakura who was between he and Naruto in single file formation. He had to admit that she'd surprised him. Sure he knew she'd grown up and gotten stronger, but he never really thought she'd be able to keep up with their torrid pace. And she didn't loudly rant and complain about it either. His respect for the woman grew in leaps and bounds. With a slight smirk at the pinkette, he turned and focused on the outline of cliffs in the distance that signaled the end of the desert sands.

Sakura saw the smirk and wondered what it was for. He'd never shown any expression on his face besides annoyance at her when they were young, so it was strange to see a smirk directed at her. Back in her fangirl days she would've squealed at that sexy smirk. Instead, she giggled and shook it off. She never did understand Sasuke most of the time. But for once, she finally felt accepted. This time she wasn't left out. And that made her happy.

They napped in a cave for a couple of hours before eating another of those dreaded bars and speeding off again. What Sakura wouldn't give for some real food right now. Fortunately, this was the last leg of their journey. They ran through the cliffs and valleys as the sun moved overhead. At this pace, they would probably reach their destination by early evening. And while none of them talked aloud, each of them wondered what they would find when they got there.

* * *

The rebuilding work was moving along at a quick pace. All of the genin and chuunin were assigned to tasks within the village, while the jounin and ANBU continued to take on missions outside the village. Tsunade looked out at the slowly reviving village from her window. Konoha had always been resilient, always rebounded from every adversity and came out the better for it. With a smile, she turned back around and sat at her desk in front of the group of people she had called into her office. They had all been gathered for one purpose. Akatsuki was Konoha's biggest threat and this so-called Pein had proven to be an unbeatable force. They had to figure out a way to defeat him and his numerous bodies if they had any hope of taking down Akatsuki. Her face turned serious.

"I've gathered you all here because you had more exposure to the invaders. I need to know what each of you know, so far, about Pein. Hopefully, what all of you have garnered can give us a better picture of how we can fight against him the next time, because I'm sure there will be a next time. So, Ibiki, Inoichi, let's start with you. Please tell me everything that you've learned from the nin that was in your hands."

Inoichi glanced at Ibiki who nodded and allowed him to do the speaking.

"As you ordered, we focused on examining the mind of the Rain-nin Jiraiya-sama captured. It took quite some time just to get into his mind because it was protected by a very powerful genjutsu. Once the genjutsu was broken, it took even more time to get any farther because there were also multiple safeguards inside his brain. Once those safeguards were finally cracked, though, what I found was quite interesting."

Tsunade folded her hands together and propped her chin on it as she listened intently.

"I saw his memories. In it he talked about always having to take dead bodies into a tower. And that Pein was rumored to live there. He brought the dead body to a woman he called the Holy Angel. She was wearing the same cloak as the rest of Akatsuki. And there's no mistake about it, I saw that same dead body during Pein's attack."

"Hmm." Tsunade's brows furrowed slightly. "Shizune? What about your group?"

"After a thorough examination, we found out that those black plugs are actually high frequency chakra demodulators. It's a sort of receiver that picks up on chakra signals. And from what I saw during the attack, all of the Peins have these plugs pierced all over their bodies. Unfortunately, we can't do anymore research on it because during the attack, not only did Pein take all the plugs, he destroyed the body."

"Hmm. So a way to transmit chakra between them. But if all six of the bodies are receiving chakra, who is doing the transmitting?"

"I think that's what Jiraiya-sama was actually trying to tell us. Even after we decoded his message, trying to figure out the meaning behind the cryptic statement over the last year or so has been a drag. But now it makes sense. 'The real one isn't there' - meaning none of those bodies we encountered are actually Pein. The real Pein must've been transmitting from somewhere else. Troublesome." Shikamaru answered.

"Is there any way to find out where he was transmitting from?"

"No, unfortunately, the chakra frequency continuously changes." Inoichi answered.

Tsunade rubbed her temples. She was inclined to agree with Shikamaru. This was troublesome. "What about their abilities? I already know that one of them has almost the same ability as the Yamanaka clan, to read a person's mind, but he also seems to have the ability to kill someone by ripping out a person's soul."

"The first one I faced with the shorter hair seems to have the ability to manipulate gravity in order to repel any attack or attract any object to him. The only weakness I see from it is that he can't use it in quick succession. But there's only about a five second delay before he can use it again. The other one was bald and seems to be more mechanical like a robot and has all sorts of weapons at his disposal." Kakashi stated.

"The one I saw looked female and has the ability to summon multiple things. I'm speculating that it was through her that all of the other bodies could get into the village undetected." Inoichi added. Tsunade tapped her fingers against the desk as she turned over all the information in her mind.

"Hmm, that makes sense. The summoner was sent through the barrier, almost like a decoy, making us think there was only one intruder. Then he summoned the other five into the village." Inocihi nodded. Tsunade looked at Inuzuka Tsume who had been silent so far. "What about the one you encountered."

The tough female shrugged. "Not much to tell. He's fat. I have no idea of his abilities because he used the dead body that was being autopsied as a shield. Right after that, ran off."

Ebisu, who had also been silent, added in his slight knowledge. "The one I fought uses some demonic figure that can tell if you're lying or telling the truth. You can only see it when he grabs you. And I don't know how he does it, but if you lie or refuse to tell him what he wants to know, you die. I'm sure that demon has something to do with it."

"Well, at least we know the extent of most of their abilities. We'll be better prepared if, or more likely when, we face them again. If only we could figure out where the real Pein was hidden."

"Maa...If you think about it, he couldn't have been very far away, you know." Shikamaru drawled as he put his hands back in his pockets and slouched in the corner. "If a person transmits chakra to another, they'd have to be as close as possible to do it."

"That's it!" Everyone looked at Inoichi after his sudden exclamation and waited for him to explain. "I think I figured it out. Shikamaru's words made everything clear."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "Go on."

"The Rain-nin's responsibility was to transport corpses to the highest tower. The same one that Pain was rumored to live in. The summoner was the corpse that was taken to the tower. There has to be a lab of some sort inside. It's probably where those chakra transmitters are inserted into the corpses. Anyways, the point is that out of all the towers in Amegakure, why the tallest? Because he'd have to be in the tallest tower in order to transmit over long distances. It's the best location to transmit chakra."

"There's no way he could transmit chakra all the way from Amegakure!" Tsunade exclaimed.

"You're right. He couldn't. He would've had to be close by, probably the highest point right outside Konoha."

Shizune's eyes went wide. "That close?" Inoichi nodded.

Tsunade slammed her fist on the desk. "You mean he was right here all that time?! If only we'd known. Well, I guess we know now. And we can use this information to help us. Good job everyone. Inoichi, I want you and Ibiki to go back and see if you can find anything else out from that Rain-nin. And if any of the rest of you think of anything that hasn't been said, please let me know. Akatsuki will be back, and we need to know everything we can beforehand. Dismissed."

Everyone left the room, leaving Tsunade to think. She decided not to disclose what she'd heard from Sasuke about Uchiha Madara. She still wasn't sure how to even explain that. How was he still alive? Even if he somehow survived the battle with her grandfather, he should be long dead by now. If Pein was practically unbeatable, then how powerful would Madara be as the leader of Akatsuki? She shook her head and drank down some sake while looking out at the night sky, then she got up.

She needed to do some research of her own.

--

The darkness always seemed to hide the most sinister of plans.

Danzou was a part of that darkness, moving through the forest with two shadows at his side. He was not in the best of moods. More to the point, he was livid. All of his careful planning had been wasted. While Akatsuki was attacking, he and his ninja had gone underground. He was prepared for Konoha to fall at the hands of Akatsuki. Sure, there would be casualties...it was a common occurrence in war. Sometimes, sacrifices had to be made. He had made enough of his own over the years. And if it took a few deaths for him to become Hokage, so be it. They were necessary sacrifices. He would use their sacrifices as stepping stones to de-throne the Godaime. But damn all of her supporters! He had assumed that more of the council would side with him. Unfortunately, too many of them were as soft-hearted as she and the Sandaime before her were.

Fortunately, he was always of the belief that one should have a Plan B. He had tried using subtle methods to attain his goals. But he was done playing around. He was done with diplomacy. Tsunade's reign would end here and now.

Due to the chaos after the attack on Konoha, he was finally able to move without Tsunade's ANBU watchdogs spying on him. Yes, he knew about them, but he chose to ignore their presence and play his role when he was outside of Root Headquarters. However, his stalkers were reassigned after the invasion because the village was shorthanded on experienced ninja. Fortunate for him, he was now free to move. And his ninja were ready and waiting. There was only one more thing he needed to do.

"I am too busy a man to be at your beck and call you know."

Danzou peered into the darkness with his one good eye, looking in the direction of the voice. Out of the darkness came the man he was waiting for.

"I will be brief Madara-sama."

* * *

The newly reformed Team 7 stopped on the outskirts of the little village of Ogawa and just stared. Even from their position, they could tell the village was badly damaged. Naruto gripped his shirt in his hand where his heart would be. Just seeing the village in such a bad condition caused his heart to ache.

Sakura looked over at her teammate. She could feel the sadness coming off of him in waves. "Naruto..." The sound of his name jolted Naruto out of his daze and he took a deep breath before steeling himself.

"Let's go."

He ran forward with his teammates behind him. They slowed down once they got into the heart of the village, looking right and left at the mess Pein left behind. Unlike what they witnessed in Konoha, there was no chaos...it was just quiet. It was an eerie silence, unusual for a village normally filled with the sights and sounds of the open market and playing children. Sakura shook her head sadly at seeing such a peaceful place ruined. Naruto and Sasuke moved with purpose toward one section of the village. When they got to the house they were looking for, both felt their hearts drop when they saw the house was completely destroyed.

"Aya..." Naruto closed his eyes. Sasuke grabbed his wrist and yanked him in a new direction.

"Come on dobe. I'm sure she's fine. We'll look for her this way." Naruto followed him without a word. Sakura met them and they continued to wander around the village. A boy came running out of one of the undamaged buildings.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled out and ran after the random boy. The boy turned around and both their eyes widened.

"Ruka?"

"Takashi?!" The young teen was engulfed in a hug from the blonde. "I'm so happy to see you're alright. Where's Aya? Is she with you?"

"No, actually she's at your place. She's trying to tend to all the wounded."

"But everyone's ok...right?" Naruto asked, bowing his head. Even he knew it was a stupid question, but it was one based on hope.

Takashi's attempt to smile fell flat and he shook his head. "I...It was bad. A bunch of men came in cloaks asking about some fox or something. Nobody knew what they were talking about, but they wouldn't take no for an answer. A lot of people got hurt. Some were caught before they could get away. Aya saw two men die. And Aya's mom...s-she...she didn't make it."

Naruto closed his eyes, unconciously backing up as if to separate himself from the awful truth. If there was ever a moment he felt horrible, it was now. He had been too late. He had failed to protect his precious people. Aya would hate him.

"No she won't." Sasuke answered his thoughts. Naruto looked at Sasuke, who almost winced at the distraught look the blonde didn't even try to hide.

"How do you know? It's my fault that her mother's gone."

Sasuke glared at his teary-eyed friend. "It's not your fault. The only ones to blame for what happened here are the ones who caused this...Akatsuki." He continued, but only so Naruto could hear. _'Now quit feeling sorry for yourself and everyone else. We have a job to do.'_ He turned and walked away, not waiting for Naruto one way or the other. "Let's go Sakura." He said aloud.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke, then over at Naruto, then back at Sasuke. "But, what about..."

"The dobe knows where to go."

Naruto didn't even turn around. He heard them walk away, yet he stayed where he was, looking straight ahead but not seeing a thing. He didn't notice that Takashi was still standing there. Not until he spoke.

"You're the one they're looking for aren't you? That's why you left wasn't it?"

Naruto couldn't look at the teen. The guilt was eating away at him. A tear dropped from his chin. "I'm...sorry." With those last whispered words, he turned with a heavy heart and started walking away.

"Sasuke-san's right, you know." Naruto stopped. "It's not your fault."

Naruto walked away without another word.

--

Meanwhile, Sasuke led the way to the little house in the woods he knew so well. He and Sakura reached the clearing and were surprised to find it filled with people, tents, and bedrolls. They knew, subconciously, that Takashi said all the wounded were at the house, but they still weren't expecting so many. While Naruto was filled with guilt, Sasuke - at the sight of so many affected by the attack - grew angry. Because of Naruto, Aya, and her family and friends, this place had become the closest thing he had to a home since his early childhood days in the Uchiha compound. If protecting Naruto hadn't been enough reason to destroy Akatsuki, this settled it. He was still an avenger after all. And as his eyes roamed over the crowded area, he vowed to avenge this small village.

Sasuke silently weaved his own path through the people, nodding to some of those he recognized. Sakura followed, quietly observing how organized things seemed to be, considering the circumstances. It made her wonder just who Aya was. At that moment, she saw a young teenage girl walk out on the porch. Her eyes locked in on them and she gasped dropping the empty bowl with a clatter.

"Sasu-sensei!" She yelled as she ran down the stairs and over to them, immediately throwing her arms around Sasuke - to the surprise of Sakura, who still remembered his aversion to female touch. Her mouth dropped open when Sasuke hugged the girl back and said something to her. She crossed her arms over her chest unsure whether to smile or to be jealous that someone else was able to bring out the softer side of the Uchiha. Sasuke, who was somehow able to sense Sakura's thoughts, turned his head and smirked at her.

"Sakura, this is Aya. Aya...Sakura. Sakura's a medic-nin and she's here to help you." Aya smiled and held out her hand. Both Sakura and Sasuke could tell the smile was strained, though.

"Welcome. I've heard about you from Ruka-sensei." Sakura shook the hand but looked confused. Who was Ruka?

"She means Naruto." Sasuke answered her as if he'd read her mind.

"Ah."

Aya smiled. "Oops, I forgot. We know him as Ruka around here. Speaking of, is he here too?"

"Yes, he's coming. But, for now, go show Sakura what needs to be done and take a break. I can see how tired you are."

The girl sighed and let her shoulders slump a bit. "I never could hide stuff from either of you." She grumbled. "I couldn't stop though. They don't have anyone else." Sakura gasped.

"Wait, you've been taking care of all of these people alone?"

Aya brought a hand up to rub the back of her head, looking strangely like Naruto when he was embarrased. "Well, I've had some help for things like bandaging up or giving out medicine. But yeah, pretty much alone. Sasuke and Naruto taught me enough medical ninjutsu to get by." Sakura shook her head in disbelief. How one person without any real medic-nin experience could deal with all of this was beyond her.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing you have some help now eh?" She smiled at the young girl and walked away with her. "So tell me what you need me to do?"

Sasuke watched the females walk away and sighed. He knew Sakura would take care of things from here. Right now, he had a dobe to find. He stood still and felt for Naruto's chakra and, after a minute, found it in the woods not too far away. There was way too much emotion flowing...most of it not his. He turned and walked in that direction. It was time to go knock some sense into the dobe.

* * *

Outside the tallest tower in Amegakure, Pein sat on the edge, surveying the world around him. With only one more piece to the puzzle, he would be able to achieve everything he'd been working toward for so long. However, that last piece was turning out to be quite elusive. Yet, he wasn't concerned. He had been patient for a long time, had made many sacrifices and dealt with much pain to attain his goal. He could be patient for a little while longer. The nine-tails could not elude him forever.

He could feel the oppressive chakra nearing, yet he didn't move. He knew that Konan would come to get him when he was needed. Uchiha Madara was a danger to his plans. Destruction was the man's aim. He was all about vengeance, about power, like all the rest of the Uchiha clan. It was no wonder that the clan had been decimated. Revenge was their form of justice. But the need for vengeance only breeds hatred...An endless cycle of hatred.

That's what the world had come to. The hatred continued to spread. Every ninja village felt they killed out of justice. Their missions, their wars...all a misplaced sense of justice. Yet it only brought more hatred, more pain.

He wanted peace. It was why he created Akatsuki. It was the reason he came up with the idea for a weapon. With the tailed beasts' power, he would have the most powerful weapon in the world. And with that weapon, the world would finally know true pain. The fear of that pain would end all war. Only then would there be peace and stability. Yes, lives would have to be taken. But wasn't it for the greater good? They would be worthy sacrifices for his dreams of peace. And even if time healed the world's wounds and they fought again, his weapon would again be used to stop it. It would always bring small measures of peace within the endless cycle of hatred.

It was his dream. Not Madara's. And the Uchiha would not stop him from attaining it.

--

Konan walked ahead. Madara followed silently.

The orange mask acted as a barrier, although his emotions would never show. He was still an Uchiha after all. And while it did not show, he was not happy. He was hoping to have his pet in his possession by now. He was also now having to deal with that team of misfits Sasuke abandoned. Babysitting Orochimaru's pets was not what he had in mind. And the loud mouthed red head was even more annoying than Deidara. Maybe even more annoying than his own alter ego. And the final insult? There was no trace of the young Uchiha anywhere. He had seemingly disappeared into thin air.

Just like a certain jinchuuriki.

At this point, he had no doubt that they must have met up somewhere and were now working together.

The only good thing out of the last couple of days was that he had Danzou under his thumb. He couldn't wait to see how the head of Root would pull off his plans, especially with the extra manpower he had just provided him with. He chuckled under his mask.

The chuckle unnerved Konan, who tensed as she climbed up the tower.

--

"He is here."

"I know." Pein responded to the angelic voice behind him. He stood slowly, not caring about making the other man wait for him. Patience was supposed to be a virtue.

* * *

Sasuke walked up behind Naruto, who was leaned up against a tree and looking out into the distance, though not really seeing any of it. It was getting dark, so there wasn't much to see anyway.

"Go away teme."

"No."

Naruto turned around with a glare. "Don't mess with me. I'm not in the mo-" Sasuke punched him before he could finish, making him fly to the other side of the clearing. The blond felt blood drip from his nose. He wiped it with his sleeve.

"What the hell? What was that for teme?!"

"Are you done feeling sorry for yourself yet? If not, I'll be happy to hit you again. I'm about sick of feeling your depressing emotions. It's pathetic." With a growl, the blond stood up.

"What the...Are you that heartless Sasuke? This whole village is suffering because of me. People here and in Konoha died because of me. And this isn't over. I don't know who will be next." Naruto ran his hand through his hair and sighed deeply, sounding like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Then he mumbled, "Maybe the world would be better off if I just gave myself up."

Sasuke heard the words and growled, his sharingan flaring to life as he grabbed Naruto by the collar and slammed him against a tree. "You stupid IDIOT!" Naruto didn't even struggle and Sasuke yanked him forward only to slam him back again. "Don't even THINK about giving up. Yes, people died and it's horrible. But those who died in Konoha died protecting YOU. Those who died here unknowingly were protecting YOU. If you give up now, their sacrifices would mean nothing. Their deaths would be meaningless. Is that what you want?"

Naruto still didn't look at him and Sasuke dropped him in disgust, letting him fall to the ground.

"You're not the Naruto I know. My Naruto would never even think about giving up. My Naruto would fight back and not let Akatsuki win. For that is what would happen, Naruto...Akatsuki would win and the loss of life now would be _nothing _in comparison to the death and destruction they would cause with all of the tailed beasts."

Naruto flinched. Sasuke saw it and nodded to himself. He was finally starting to get through to him.

"You may be merging with the Kyuubi, but I don't doubt that Madara would find a way to use you anyway. You're the only thing keeping them from accomplishing their goal. And I'll be damned if I allow you to let them take you."

Silence reigned for so long, Sasuke was about to turn and walk away. Then he heard a low chuckle. He watched as Naruto finally looked at him, still chuckling.

"So, when did you start making such inspirational speeches? That's usually my thing."

Sasuke smirked and held out his hand. "Well, I blame you. I've been hanging around you too much dobe."

Naruto shook his head and then took the outstretched hand. As Sasuke was pulling him up, he reared back his fist and punched the Uchiha in the face, making him fall backwards. Naruto glared down at him.

"That's for punching me you bastard." Sasuke's eyes narrowed and Naruto immediately took a defensive stance. But it was wasted since the brunette only chuckled and stood up, then smacked the blond on the back of the head as he walked away.

"Dobe." _'Glad you're back to normal.'_

"Teme." Naruto glared but followed after him. _'Thanks.'_

* * *

The two chuunin stood guard at the gates. One of them yawned and stretched.

"I'm so bored." One said.

"Heh, good thing I brought these." The other replied while pulling out a deck of cards. With a grin, he started dealing. The games went on for a while until they started noticing it had become harder to see. A misty fog had rolled in and made it impossible to see more than a few feet in front of them.

"Why the hell is it so foggy? It's too warm for this."

"Something's wrong...this isn't natural." They were about to alert the hokage when they heard the sound of metal. Their throats were slit before they could scream.

In the hokage tower, all was quiet. Tsunade, in true unladylike fashion, snored loudly at her desk, her head buried in her paperwork and an empty sake bottle next to it. She had no idea of the trouble brewing just outside.

The mist covered the movements of the darkly clothed ninja who surrounded the hokage tower. It also covered the tracks of the silent killers who did their job around the perimeter of the village. More ninja took stations all over the village and waited.

Danzou slowly made his way through the silent night with his ever present guards at his side. His destination was the hokage tower and when he got there, he nodded at his troops in front of the building as they bowed in respect. He went up the stairs and into the corridor leading to the office he would very soon call his own. Glancing down distastefully at the dead guards at his feet, he nodded and gave a sign to the two Root ninja standing by the door and they disappeared with the bodies. Without bothering to hide the smirk of success, he opened the door to the hokage office and was almost inclined to chuckle at the sleeping blonde. If there was ever a moment he was happy she was such a heavy sleeper after sake, it was now. Five of his ninja stood around her with their weapons drawn and pointed at her vital points.

He raised his walking stick and knocked hard on the desk. Tsunade awakened with a jolt, raising her head with a glare, opening her mouth to yell at whoever disturbed her. She was stopped cold by the feel of cold steel against her neck. Her eyes first shifted to the various masked nin around her then focused on the single person in front of her.

"Danzou!" She growled. "What is the meaning of this? I'll have you arrested and charged with treason."

"I highly doubt that. You see, your guards are incapacitated. And so are most of your guards all around Konoha. The few ANBU or jounin you have still here in the village have no chance of stopping all of my ninja. And I should hope you wouldn't risk the lives of chuunin and genin to attempt to stop me. They would only die and leave the entire village at the mercy of our enemies. You wouldn't want that would you? So, as you can see Tsunade, I have all the power now. And my first act will be to strip you of yours."

--

--

_Edited 03/19/2010_

**a/n:** Yes, I know that was an evil place to leave you all, but I promise to have up the next chapter soon. I wasn't kidding when I said I would try to get this story finished in the spring. So guess what? Danzou's staging a coup! And I thank **T.A. Raskelt** for giving me that idea. And if you figured out the connection between the mist and the Mizukage and all that jazz, you'll get that Danzou had a bit of help. AND of course, if you've kept up with the manga, you know exactly _who _the Mizukage is. Goodness, I hope if you're still reading this story you're keeping up with the manga or you're getting seriously spoiled. Thanks for reading and please review!


	25. Finally Home

**a/n: **Yes, Sesshy's back with a new chapter finally. Hope you enjoy it. Notes are at the end.

**larissatsukino** - You asked how old Naruto was in this fic. He's 18. If you want a bit more detail, I think I talk about him and Sasuke's ages in the authors note in chapter 2 or 3 if I remember right.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

**Warning: **Spoilers for future manga chapters. I hope you're keeping up.

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 24 - Finally Home**

* * *

--

**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

--

_He raised his walking stick and knocked hard on the desk. Tsunade awakened with a jolt, raising her head with a glare, opening her mouth to yell at whoever disturbed her. She was stopped cold by the feel of cold steel against her neck. Her eyes first shifted to the various masked nin around her then focused on the single person in front of her._

_"Danzou!" She growled. "What is the meaning of this? I'll have you arrested and charged with treason."_

_"I highly doubt that. You see, your guards are incapacitated. And so are most of your guards all around Konoha. The few ANBU or jounin you still have here in the village have no chance of stopping all of my ninja. And I should hope you wouldn't risk the lives of chuunin and genin to attempt to stop me. They would only die and leave the entire village at the mercy of our enemies. You wouldn't want that would you? So, as you can see Tsunade, I have all the power now. And my first act will be to strip you of yours."_

* * *

Tsunade glared at the man she loathed standing in front of her. Suddenly her lips twisted into a smirk. A poof of smoke blinded them all for a moment and when the smoke cleared, a very different person sat in her place.

"DAMN YOU!" Danzou growled at the purple haired leaf ninja, who wasted no time grabbing the hand that held the offensive weapon and quickly snapping it, effectively breaking the limb. A choked scream erupted from the nin. After that all hell broke loose.

Another Root swung a short sword toward the woman's head but she blocked it with a kunai. With her free hand, she pulled another kunai and slammed it into the leg of the nin behind him. The man screamed and fell backwards in pain. Sai appeared out of nowhere, fake smile fully in place, and knocked him out with a well placed punch. Genma crashed through the picture window, poisonous senbon already flying and taking out his targets. More ninja from Root appeared but were dealt with by one of the three ninja. One senbon flew past Sai's head hitting the ninja behind him in the throat, effectively killing him. Danzou turned while their attention was diverted and tried to sneak off but he was met at the door by Tenzou and Shikamaru,whose hands were already in the sign for the kage shibari no jutsu. Danzou couldn't move another step.

The commotion finally calmed down and all the Root ninja in the room were either incapacitated or dead. And then Danzou heard the distinctive sound of heels clapping against the floor. Tsunade smiled smugly as she walked inside and leaned against the door. Danzou's eyes narrowed into a hateful glare at the princess of the Senju clan. Tsunade glared back and cracked her knuckles.

"You didn't really think I had no clue what you were planning did you? Did you really think I wouldn't figure out that there was a closed door council meeting without me present in which you tried to lobby to get me ousted? Please give me a little more credit than that."

"Haughty as always Tsunade. Well, you may have stopped me here, but you can't stop what's happening outside this room. The village is surrounded by my ninja. You can't possibly win with your resources so dwindled." Danzou replied.

"Is that what you think? You might want to take a look outside."

Genma grabbed the old man and yanked him toward the window and pushed him halfway out of the broken window so he couldn't miss a thing. Danzou looked on as the mist slowly dissipated and revealed the anbu and jounin forces all over the village gaining the upper hand. Danzou growled and struggled vainly to get out of the ninja's grip. Genma pulled him back inside and pushed him into a chair - ironically, the hokage's chair - and Tenzou bound the man using his mokuton technique to form wooden bindings.

"How?"

"I alerted them all. I got a tip from someone that you were planning something. I know enough about you to know how much you would love me to disappear. After the Akatsuki attack, the village was already vulnerable. So, for pretense, I sent our ninja out of the village on fake missions in order to make the village look even more vulnerable. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist putting your plan into action."

The door opened and the two guards he thought were dead walked in with weapons at the ready.

"You've been able to keep your activities under the radar for a long time. Not anymore. It's over." Danzou sat there with his hand clenched into a fist, watching his plans crumble to dust before him. He knew it was over.

"Take him to Ibiki." Tsunade commanded the guards. She quickly went through hand signs and pushed her fingers into the back of the man's neck. The guards grabbed him as he fell unconscious. The three disappeared. Sai, Genma, Shikamaru and Tenzou picked up the remaining unconscious Root members and took them away.

With a sigh, Tsunade rubbed her temples with her fingers. "I swear, the drama never ends. I need sake." she muttered. It was bad enough she had to deal with Akatsuki. She shouldn't have to deal with problems in her own village, as well. Well, at least the pompous old jerk will finally get what's coming to him. Hopefully he'll spill enough to take the other two council members with him.

"Here Tsunade-sama." Her purple haired stand-in held a bottle out in front of her with a smile.

"Ah...my hero. Thank you Yugao."

"You're quite welcome." The woman bowed and prepared to put on her anbu mask and return to her duties.

"Wait."

"Yes Tsunade-sama?"

"Have a seat. You played your role well. Consider yourself officially relieved for the night." The woman nodded and sat across from the hokage. Tsunade pulled out two cups and poured sake into them and immediately swallowed her own and poured another before the anbu ever had a chance to drink her own.

"Thank you."

* * *

Naruto felt the nostalgia strongly as he walked through the house that had, not long ago, been his.

He looked into the bedroom and noticed Aya sleeping in bed. She had finally succumbed to her exhaustion. With a sigh, he knelt next to the bed and gazed at her innocent face scrunched up in sleep. He knew some of her innocence died with the destruction of her village and the death of her mother. He grieved for the loss of it. Aya had always been such a smiling cheery person and he wondered once she rested and had time to let the traumatic events sink in, would she change. Naruto tried to ignore the nagging thought that it was his fault but the weight of his own guilt refused to disappear. He lightly brushed her hair from her face with his fingers. She didn't even twitch.

"I'm so sorry Aya." He whispered and stood up, quietly leaving the room and going back outside. He knew Sakura could use some extra help. When he got outside, he saw Sasuke already lending his assistance. Sakura saw Naruto and smiled, waving him in her direction. He stepped off the porch and weaved through the people until he reached her. He noticed that the crowd that had been in the small clearing earlier was slowly but surely thinning.

"How's Aya?" Sakura asked after she stood up from working on another patient.

"She's sleeping."

"Good. I slipped a sedative in her drink. I don't think she's slept much in the last few days."

"Yeah." Naruto looked away. Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You didn't see her earlier Naruto. She has a strong will. She'll be okay."

"I hope so."

He glanced around the clearing and asked what was on his mind when he left the porch. "Where did everyone go?"

"Many of the injuries were things like broken bones and cuts that needed stitches, some 2nd degree burns. Once healed, they went back to see what's left. My plan is to have most of the more easily treated injuries taken care of tonight. That will only leave those who are still in more serious condition. She did a very good job in healing what she could. If not for her, probably some of the critical patients wouldn't have made it. You and Sasuke did well training her."

"Yeah." Naruto smiled slightly, but it vanished quickly as he thought of those who left. He knew some of them would return to the village to find nothing left but ash and rubble.

"Think you can handle a few patients?" Sakura asked, taking him away from his depressing thoughts. He gave her a wan smile. Maybe it would take his mind off of things.

"Just point me in the right direction Sakura."

* * *

The sun was high in the sky when Aya woke up. As soon as she saw how late it was, she jumped out of bed, quickly cleaned herself up, and ran outside. She stopped and her eyes went wide when she saw how empty the clearing was.

"Where is everyone?" she muttered. The amount of injured people had been cut to about one-quarter. All the rest were gone.

"They've all gone home." She turned to her left and squealed at the sight of her favorite sensei sitting in the shady part of the porch.

"RU!" she exclaimed. Naruto made to stand up but was tackled back to the ground by Aya. He tensed at first before relaxing and wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "I'm so glad you're here. I was so scared...and I didn't know what to do."

Naruto shifted until he was sitting up again and he maneuvered so she was sitting next to him. His eyes were sad and he kept one arm wrapped around her as he spoke to her in muted tones. "You did well. I'm proud of you. You set up this whole thing up..." He gestured to the clearing still littered with sleeping bags and tents, "...all by yourself and treated those you could. Think of how much more Sakura would've had to do had you not been here."

Aya smiled slightly at the praise. Naruto couldn't miss the sadness in her eyes, though, and it made the guilt come back full force.

"Aya...I...I'm sorry. I know that words will never be enough, but you have no idea how sorry I am..." Aya's expression turned to confusion.

"For what? What happened wasn't your fault."

"But...they were here for me. Your mother...she wouldn't be..." _'Gone.'_ The words went unsaid. "...if it wasn't for me. I should've never stayed so long. I should've just kept moving. I got too attached to this place." The teen glared at the blond and punched him in the arm then stood up with her hands on her hips, still glaring down at him in anger. Naruto was thinking of moving backward if he could. Right now she could give Sasuke a run for his money.

"Shut up! Just shut up. You have no idea.... Mother, she gave her life to save me. She made me leave her behind because she wanted to make sure I found you so I could warn you. Stop feeling bad over something you can't change. Yes, my mother is gone and I will always miss her terribly. But she wanted me to live my life and be happy. And I will do my best to live up to that." She sighed and relaxed her angry stance, allowing Naruto a moment to let the words sink in. She took a deep breath before giving him her news. "And just so you know, I'm going with you."

"No. It's too dangerous."

The anger came back full force. "You said that before, but look what happened." With a growl she turned away and stomped down the porch stairs. She glanced back once more at the morose blond, her anger disappearing at the sight. She sighed. "It's what I want. I couldn't heal half of these people...not the way I am now. I want to be a ninja, a medic-nin, like Sakura. I can't do that here. Mother was the only reason I didn't go with you before. You can't stop me Naruto."

"Hn...it seems you've grown Aya." She jumped at the voice and turned around to see Sasuke leaning against the post. She narrowed her eyes at her other sensei.

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough." He smirked slightly, then gestured toward the patients still waiting. "Sakura wanted me to see if you were awake. She needs your assitance."

"Alright." She skipped off to see the pinkette. Sasuke chuckled, then climbed the stairs and sat down next to Naruto with a sigh.

"She's right, you know. Stop feeling guilty. It won't help you." He turned his head and looked out at their charge helping Sakura heal another patient. "Or her."

"I know...I know."

"You're not responsible for every fucking bad thing that happens that has something to do with the Kyuubi. You can only do so much. You can't fix everything alone Naruto."

"I can sure as hell try." Sasuke could feel Naruto's chaotic emotions and pulled the blond closer and started running his hands through the spiky hair to calm him down.

"Idiot. There's nothing wrong with trying. What's wrong is setting yourself up for failure with unrealistic expectations that can't possibly be met. And you know this. So don't go carrying this burden around like it's all your fault dobe. As I said before, the only people at fault are Akatsuki. That's who you should be taking your anger out on."

Naruto nodded. Sasuke was right, of course. He knew it wasn't his fault, but just thinking about a village full of people who showed such kindness to him and made him practically family losing it all because of that damn organization... Killer intent started leaking, but he tamped it down.

It was time to end this.

"When we get back, we're going after them. I'm through running."

Sasuke nodded. He knew exactly what Naruto meant. He raised his hand into a fist. "I'll be right there with you."

Naruto grinned and bumped his own fist against the brunet's.

"Oh...and she's coming back with us."

Naruto scowled. "But-"

"Aya's coming." Naruto sighed heavily. But Sasuke's thoughts flowed through him. He felt Sasuke's apprehension. Aya had become family. Family was something neither Sasuke nor he had a lot of. Sasuke wasn't ready to lose that...and truthfully, neither was he. Naruto closed his eyes. How could he say no to that?

"Alright...fine."

* * *

Madara tapped his foot against the stone floor. Patience....Uchihas were never very good at showing that quality. Fortunately, patience was something he had cultivated over the many years he'd been alive. It was the only reason he'd made it this far. It was only because of his patience that he wasn't angry at Pein for keeping him waiting.

He was his superior, after all. Pein should've been here by now.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." The deva path stated in a monotone as he appeared from the shadows and took a seat across from the man with more than one identity. Uchiha Madara, former

Mizukage, leader of Akatsuki, Tobi...all the identities were dangerous in one way or another. However, Pein was not afraid of any of them.

"It is of no consequence. I merely wanted to talk."

"About?" Madara crossed his legs in front of him and nonchalantly gestured with his finger.

"Your latest failure." Pein didn't flinch at the dig. Instead, he stared back, not defiantly, but just a sign to show he was not intimidated.

"There was no failure. The jinchuuriki wasn't there. That is all. It seems he left a week before I arrived. And there is no trace of him."

"So you failed to capture him."

"No, failure to capture would imply that he was close enough for me to make an attempt." Madara's single eye narrowed dangerously. His puppet was being quite verbal today. And he didn't like the subtle tones of defiance coming from the path.

"You aren't usually so outspoken. Is there a problem?"

"Not at all."

"Good. You know, if you hadn't spent so much time in Konoha avenging your past, you might've found your jinchuuriki."

"You didn't seem to mind it all that much when I was turning the village to rubble and terrorizing it's people." Madara ignored him and pushed his point.

"You're a god. It shouldn't be so difficult to find your prey."

Madara was trying his best to rile him up with insults. But Pein refused to rise to the bait and stared impassively.

"Even the actions of a god take time."

"Hn. Well, it is time that you no longer have." Madara was losing the war of words and was no longer in the mood to trade barbs. He stood to his full height and stared down at the seated deva path. "Find him. I don't care what you have to do, how many villages you have to flatten. Find him and bring him to me. You have 5 days."

Pein stared back with not a hint of emotion. "As you wish."

* * *

Three days later, Team 7, along with Aya, were standing in front of the village gates. Naruto and Sasuke were both back in their henges - which had been quite an interesting experience for the young teen. The moment they walked through the gates, the team could tell something was wrong. They couldn't tell exactly what, but the air seemed tense with...something they couldn't quite grasp.

"This is Konoha?" Aya asked as she looked around. She took note of the crumbled buildings and knew something had happened. The scene looked too familiar. "Did those people come here too?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, they did. But they can't keep us down. See?" She said as she pointed off to the shell of a building a block away. "Konoha's already rebuilding." Aya couldn't help but smile at that.

After a glance at her hooded and henged teammates. Sakura took Aya's hand and tried to shake off the feeling of wrongness. "We should go." All of them nodded and headed toward the tower. One glance at the tower with it's broken glass and holes in some of the outer walls had the group running up the stairs swiftly, sidestepping the evidence of fighting as they passed through the hallway. Naruto got to the double doors first and pushed them open.

"Baa-chan!" A paperweight lodged into the wall right next to where Naruto stood and he breathed a sigh of relief that the glass ball missed him. That would've hurt a lot.

"Shut up you brat! I was trying to sleep." Tsunade growled, one eye twitching as she glared at the group in front of her. "So, I see you made it back in one piece."

The team nodded.

"Good. Now take off those ridiculous henges!" The two males almost flinched and wasted no time doing as she asked. "Now, what happened and who's the kid?"

Naruto didn't answer, not wanting to talk about it. Sakura looked at the two males and rolled her eyes...she knew Sasuke was unlikely to open his mouth. _'Well, I guess I am the only official leaf ninja. I should give the report.'_ "Akatsuki had already come and gone by the time we got there. They destroyed the first village they got to in Bird Country looking for Naruto. Many were injured, some fatally. Fortunately, Aya had already set up a sort of triage before we got there."

"Who?"

"Aya." Sakura pushed the younger girl forward, who looked down with a blush at being the center of attention.

"My student, remember? I've written about her." Naruto added, wrapping an arm around the teen's shoulders like a proud father. Tsunade eyes went wide as she remembered.

"Oh! The kid you kept begging me to send more medical jutsu for? That brat?"

"Hey! I'm no brat. You don't even know me." Aya piped in, forgetting who's presence she was in. Tsunade raised a brow. The girl had spunk.

"I'm the leader of this village. I can call you whatever I want." Aya glared at the woman before turning her head away with a huff. Tsunade resisted the urge to laugh. She was a lot like Naruto. "Whatever. Why is she here?"

Aya almost growled. _'She' _was standing right here. "I want to become a medic nin." she answered before anyone else could. Tsunade smirked. She hadn't had someone with this much spark around since Naruto was banished from the village. That kind of snarky spirit had been missed.

"You're not even a ninja."

"So? You can make me one. I've already got enough training. Ruka-sen...I mean Naru-sensei and Sasu-sensei said I could be a genin...maybe even a chuunin."

"Did they now?" Hazel eyes traveled over to the two males. Naruto raised his hand and rubbed the back of his head nervously. Sasuke stared right back without flinching. "Well boys, since you two are responsible for her, does that mean you're staying?" Naruto raised a brow.

"Can we actually return? I mean...What about the council?"

"Oh yes...about them...they have no control over what I do with you two. Well, at least not anymore."

"What's the catch?" It was the first words Sasuke had spoken the entire time they'd been in her office. Tsunade grinned.

"Actually, I think you'll like my options. Naruto, you were wrongly banished anyway, so by the power vested in me I hearby unbanish you. Sasuke, your situation is a bit different. You left of your own volition and became a missing nin. While understandable, your actions were unjustified. However, I am willing to wipe the slate clean if you do just one thing for me."

Sasuke raised a brow in question.

"Make Danzou talk." Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Where is he?" he asked, his voice taking on a deadly tone.

"In prison. I'm sure you've noticed the mess." She gestured to the floor still littered with bits of glass, plaster and splintered wood. "Danzou tried to overthrow me and take over the village. However, we were one step ahead of him. Ibiki has tried for the last couple of days to get him to talk. Unfortunately, he's not getting anywhere with him. Damn old man is quite stubborn. I figure if anyone has the right to deal with him for what he's done, it's you. Therefore, if you can get him to spill his guts, I will allow you back into the village AND allow you to keep your ninja status with only six months of probation."

"And if I can't?"

"Then I will allow the council to be the ones to decide your fate." Sasuke nodded.

_'Well?'_ Naruto asked him in his mind.

_'Like I have a choice?'_

_'Can you do it though?'_ Naruto heard a snort in his head. He could almost visualize his friend smirking even though he wasn't looking at him.

_'I did spend three and a half years with Orochimaru and Kabuto. Trust me. I can do it.'_

"I will do it."

"Good." Tsunade reached into her drawer and pulled out two hitai-ite and tossed them to the two boys. "Welcome back you two." Sakura was practically giddy, bouncing on her feet and grinning. She was so happy to have her boys back. "Sasuke, I'll clear you to be able to make your visit for late tomorrow night. Naruto, your old apartment building is about to crumble. So here." She held out a key. "This is your new apartment. It has two bedrooms, it's already furnished." Naruto gave her a knowing look.

"You planned this didn't you?" Naruto asked. Tsunade shrugged.

"I hoped." Her eyes locked onto Aya. "As for you, meet Sakura and I here tomorrow at 10 a.m."

"Why?" Aya asked.

"You want to be a medic-nin don't you?" A bright smile overtook the teens face.

"Yes ma'am. I'll be here."

"Good. And don't call me ma'am! I'm not that old."

"Yes you are." Naruto coughed behind his hand. The hokage glared at Naruto. He gave her an innocent smile. She narrowed her eyes in warning.

"Now all of you, out of my office. I want some peace and quiet."

The moment they exited the hokage tower, Sakura squealed and jumped on the two males and squeezed them almost to death with her hugs. Naruto smiled. Sasuke grimaced, but didn't pull away. Aya giggled at their antics.

"Team 7 is back!" Sakura yelled with a grin. "I don't know about you guys, but I think it's only right that we celebrate at Ichiraku's."

"Ramen!" Naruto yelled with a grin. For once he could be genuinely happy about eating ramen since he hadn't had any in a while. Besides, Ichiraku's was still the best in the world. Sasuke glared at the blond and growled in his head about him being too loud. "Aya, you'll finally get to taste the awesomest ramen in the world!"

* * *

After lunch, Sakura took her teammates to see their former sensei. Naruto was surprised they hadn't run into anyone on the way. He figured that many of their friends must be involved in rebuilding. Kakashi was in his apartment still recovering from his injuries after fighting Pein. On the way, they found out from Sakura how bad off he really had been. The internal and external injuries were so bad, he'd almost died more than once on the operating table.

Sasuke had to knock sense into Naruto to keep him from being burdened by guilt again.

So now, here they were standing at his door. Sakura squeezed their shoulders before grinning and knocking on the door. "I'm going to take Aya and show her around a bit. You guys take your time. I'll meet you at your new apartment." She and Aya walked away. The door opened and a hand waved them inside. Once inside the threshold, the door closed and behind it was Kakashi.

"Yo!" he greeted, raising a lazy hand. Naruto grinned. Sasuke nodded. Kakashi sighed in relief. It seems he and Naruto would be ok. "I'm too tired to offer you anything. But have a seat." The two sat on the couch while Kakashi took his seat in the chair. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise when he noticed that the man was without a mask. On another occasion, he probably would've grinned triumphantly at finally seeing the handsome man's face. But right now all he could do was think of how strange it seemed to see him without it. He unobtrusively stared at Kakashi's face...had it always been that pale? Or was it from being in the hospital? He tried to think back to Kakashi after they saved Gaara. He didn't remember him being that pale then.

"So..." Naruto cleared his throat and began again. "So, I bet you didn't think you'd see me back here huh?"

"Actually, I think, if anything, I would've been more surprised to see him." Kakashi nodded toward Sasuke. "So, I suppose you have both been allowed back in the village?"

"Yep. I'm back to stay. So is the teme."

"So, did you get back to Bird Country in time?" Naruto shook his head and looked down.

"They had come and gone. But considering the circumstances, there were minimal casualties. More injuries than anything."

"Ah."

Naruto looked over at Sasuke and noticed how tense he was. Instead of slouching like himself, Sasuke was ramrod straight sitting on the edge of the couch. Naruto stood up. "Hey Kakashi-sensei, you mind if I make some tea? I'll make enough for everyone."

"Kitchen's all yours." With a grin, Naruto disappeared into the kitchen.

That left Sasuke and Kakashi alone. Sasuke stayed silent, unsure of what to say to his old sensei - if he could even call him that. Back then, he refused to consider Kakashi his sensei because he was an _Uchiha_. In his eyes, the jounin was beneath him. He sighed and clenched his fingers around the fabric of his pants. In the hospital, he hadn't said much to Kakashi, instead allowing Naruto to do most of the talking. What could he possibly say that wouldn't sound completely lame?

"You were right." he whispered.

"Hm?" Kakashi tilted his head in confusion at the whispered statement.

"You told me I would suffer. That succeeding in my revenge would make me feel nothing but emptiness. You were right." Sasuke thought back to that moment when he was young and stupid. A twelve year old genin whose only aspiration was to gain power for revenge. Kakashi had tried to warn him then, but he had ignored the advice and it had come back to haunt him. He looked down so his hair would hide his eyes. "I should've listened. But I didn't and my brother is dead because of it and I wish he wasn't."

Kakashi stayed silent. He knew how much it took for Sasuke to relinquish his pride and admit he was wrong.

"Did you know the truth? About Itachi?" Sasuke lifted his head after he asked. Kakashi shook his head in the negative. "All this time I hated him for what he did when he was only doing his job. He was ordered to kill them to stop them from doing exactly what Danzou tried to do. I killed him when he was only protecting Konoha and me, hell, probably Naruto too since he became a spy in Akatsuki. I wish I had known the truth...then maybe..." Sasuke trailed off.

"Perhaps you weren't supposed to know. Maybe Itachi wanted you to grow up normal without clan traditions being held over your head. I know the way he psychological played you may not have been the best way, but he was only thirteen after all. He did what he thought he could at the time." Kakashi ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Of course, I'm sure that doesn't make you feel any better. But just think about the choices you made at twelve and thirteen...maybe once you take time to think about that, you'll understand him a bit more."

Sasuke nodded. Kakashi decided to leave it at that.

* * *

"Ah crap! What did I do with the key?" Naruto searched his pockets again. Sasuke cleared his throat deliberately and suddenly there was a key dangling from a keychain in front of his face. "Hey!" He grabbed the key, unlocked the door and opened it to an unfamiliar darkness and that new apartment smell. He stepped inside. Sasuke followed. "Home sweet home eh?"

"Hn."

Naruto patted the wall beside him to find a light switch. He flipped it up.

"SURPRISE!!!"

"AHHH!!!" Naruto jumped back almost falling over Sasuke. The whole living room was full of people who had previously hidden behind furniture and in closets.

"Now, I can officially say welcome back Naruto and Sasuke." Sakura smiled. Naruto slowly grinned as he began to look around the room. Everyone was there: Kiba, Hinata, Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji, Shino, Neji, Tenten, Lee, Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon, Shizune, Tsunade, Iruka and...Kakashi?!

Naruto pointed at his sensei. "What are you..." Then he turned and glared at Sakura. "You did this on purpose!"

Sakura tried to hold back the smile. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"LIAR! You sent us to his place to distract us while you did this."

"But you're happy...right?" Aya asked with a smile. She was already familiar with the entire group because of the letters and pictures that hung in his home in Bird Country. And now that she had been around them for a little while, she could understand why he loved them all. Naruto smiled.

"Yeah. But how did you do this so fast? We only found out we were staying a few hours ago."

Sakura grinned. "As soon as we hit fire country, I summoned a snail and sent a message to Ino and Tsunade-shishou. It gave them two days to work things out. Now, let's party!"

After that, there were hugs all around. Sasuke, though, stayed back and silently leaned against the door watching Naruto with a slight smile. He was glad to see Naruto so happy. He wouldn't admit though, that he was apprehensive. Were they willing to accept him back after betraying them all?

Sakura would have none of that though. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him forward with that unnatural strength of hers. "Come on you anti-socialite. This party is for you too. Right everyone?"

"Hell yeah!" Kiba yelled. He was already starting on a second bottle of beer. "But if you ever think about leaving again or hurting Naruto we'll all kick your ass!" The group yelled their agreement. Sasuke gave a brief nod of acknowledgement before Ino squealed and attached herself to a pale arm.

"We missed you Sasuke-kun!"

Yep...he was definitely home. Sasuke rolled his eyes and didn't even bother to try to pry her off. It wasn't worth the trouble.

"Troublesome...Ino, let him go."

"But Shika..."

Naruto found Sasuke's eyes and grinned. Sasuke didn't even have to listen to a voice in his head to know what Naruto was thinking.

* * *

It was late that night. The moon was high in the sky, shining it's beams over Konoha. Naruto stood outside the Uchiha mansion waiting for his best friend. Sasuke and a few clones of Naruto came out with their hands full. The two young men had left their own party behind - although a good deal of the group were passed out all over his living room by now - at the prodding of Sasuke, who mentally told Naruto that he had one last thing he needed to do tonight.

"Seal these up, would you?" Sasuke said.

"What is all this stuff?"

"Everything important." He didn't elaborate, but it was the most important things...clan scrolls, pictures, some of his parents and Itachi's things, some clothes.

"Cryptic much." Naruto muttered. But he went about sealing the items. Then he narrowed his eyes in thought and stared into Sasuke's eyes. They were full of determination, but he had to be sure. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Sasuke took a deep breath and let it out, then nodded. "Yes, I am. I think I'm finally ready to move on. I have to. I can't keep living in the past. Besides, I don't think any of their souls will truly rest in peace unless I do this." He stared ahead at the entire district he'd grown up in and imagined the days so long ago when this place was full of life, when people walked the streets. His clan...his family. "It's time to start anew." he stated with finality.

Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and squeezed it gently before letting go in a show of support.

Sasuke smiled slightly before turning serious again. "Lend me your wind?"

"Sure."

The brunet flashed through hand signs and took a huge deep breath. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu." A stream of fire blew from his mouth and engulfed the Uchiha mansion in a blazing fire. Sasuke glanced back at Naruto with a nod.

Naruto made some hand signs of his own. "Fuuton: Reppushou." A strong wind gust blew towards the house and sent the flames whipping out toward the next closest homes. The two used the same techniques over and over again until the entire district was burning. After they had torched everything, they transported themselves to the entrance of the district. They watched in silence as everything burned to the ground. The scent of burning wood filled the air and ashes floated with the wind. Sasuke stared silently, the fire reflecting in his dark eyes as he watched the fire destroy what was left of his haunted memories.

He was ready to live again.

--

--

_Edited 03/19/2010_

**Yugao** - Uzuki Yagao, anbu, was Hayate's lover before he got killed.

**Kage Shibari no Jutsu** - Shadow bind technique

**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu** - Great fireball technique

**Fuuton: Reppushou** - Gale wind palm

**a/n:** And there it is. I'm sure everyone is saying 'Finally!' Well, I pretty much have an idea of how things will go from now on up to the end, so updates should come pretty quickly since I'll be concentrating on this story. This was kind of a transition chapter. The next will feature Sasuke and Danzou, and Naruto tells Tsunade about his plans to deal with Akatsuki. So, stay tuned! Also, what did you think of Pein in this chapter? I wanted to show he's not intimidated by Madara. Thanks for all of your reviews for the last chapter and for sticking with the story even when I take breaks from it. I hope all your patience will be rewarded with the ending. Please review?


	26. Animosity and Retribution

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

**Warning: **Spoilers for future manga chapters. I hope you're keeping up.

**Notes:** When I started writing this story, Fukusaku hadn't appeared to Naruto. So the timeline between Jiraiya's death and Pein's appearance in Konoha is much longer than in the manga. Well, and we didn't know much about Danzou then either...don't expect his character to match the manga.

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 25 - Animosity and Retribution  
**

* * *

--

**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

--

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU TWO THINKING?!"

Naruto and Sasuke stood in the hokage's office facing the wrath of the Godaime Hokage. Naruto cringed and glanced at his best friend next to him, who still looked as cool as a cucumber. He always did envy the teme for his ability to look completely unaffected. Truthfully, he didn't see why baa-chan was making such a big deal about this. Konoha was already a mess and in need of rebuilding anyway, what was one more section to rebuild? Besides, it was Sasuke's property.

Of course, over the years, he'd finally learned to keep his big mouth shut before it would run him into trouble. So he wasn't about to break that streak now.

Sasuke sighed. It was way too early in the morning for this. "It _is_ Uchiha property. Am I not allowed to do with it as I choose?"

"You torched the entire district!" Tsunade growled.

"Still within my rights."

"That's not the point!" She yelled as she slammed a fist down onto the poor wooden desk. Naruto was sure he heard it crack and cringed again and stepped back a foot. "Not only was that dangerous - and you better be thankful that Naruto knows water jutsu - but I was trying not to broadcast the fact that you were back. Just because Danzou is sitting in prison doesn't mean the rest of the council is ready to take you back with open arms." She sighed and raised her fingers to her throbbing temples. "Dammit, I need sake. I swear you two just got back and you're already going to be the death of me."

"It's not that bad baa-chan. Just tell them someone did it by accident or something." Naruto suggested.

"Yeah right. You know as well as I do that nobody goes near that district. Not even on a dare." Tsunade started yanking open drawers one by one. Sasuke glanced at Naruto and raised a brow at the blonde woman's sudden interest in her desk. Naruto smirked and mentally told him to just wait and watch. Finally at the last drawer, she pulled out a bottle. "AHA!" Popping it open, she started drinking straight from the bottle. Sasuke rolled his eyes and Naruto shook his head while trying his hardest not to laugh at the sight, lest he die an early death. After a few swallows, Tsunade smiled slightly. "Ah...that's better. Well, whatever...I don't care anymore. I'll think of something to throw the council off. And you, Uchiha, still have a council member to interrogate. So, get out of here and let me rest."

"You just woke up. Why would you need rest?"

"Shut up brat before I punch you." Naruto grinned at that before he turned serious.

"Actually, one more thing before we go."

"Hm?" She replied, hardly paying attention. All of it was on the lovely bottle of sake in front of her.

"I want to go after Akatsuki." Tsunade's suddenly wide eyes shot back up to Naruto. That certainly got her attention.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. And no, I'm not insane. I'm just tired of running and I'm tired of people getting hurt because of them. It's not like we haven't defeated any of their members before. Considering Akatsuki is depleted and weaker now, I think if we come up with a solid plan we can destroy them for good."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she considered the possibility. She then turned to Sasuke. "And you agree with him Uchiha?"

"Hn." He gave her a nod. "They are weaker without their original members. Only five remain, including Madara. The new members are my old team and relatively speaking, they're not as powerful as the ones that were defeated."

Tsunade folded her hands in front of her and placed her chin on her folded hands. Her eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Hmm...we'll need to meet about this. Give me a few hours. I'll summon you when I'm ready." Naruto smiled and nodded.

"Thanks baa-chan." He then screamed and ducked a heavy paperweight. It imbedded itself into the wall behind him. "What the hell? You crazy old hag!"

Another projectile came flying and Naruto just barely got out of the way of that one. "Don't call me old, you brat!"

Sasuke snickered and followed the blond as he ran from the room.

* * *

Both males were holding back from drooling as they got close to Naruto's...no, their apartment. The smell assaulted them before they even reached the right floor. By the time Naruto was opening the door, his stomach was growling embarrassingly loud. Sasuke would have laughed if his own stomach wasn't sending out loud signals of it's own. Their apartment was still full of people, some dozing in various spots. Sakura, Aya, and Hinata were in the kitchen.

"I think I'm in love with you all." Naruto announced as he stood in the doorway looking at the girls hard at work, sniffing the various aromas. They all grinned and Hinata wore a slight blush.

"That's only your stomach talking. I have a feeling you only love one person and it surely isn't any of us." Sakura replied with a sly grin.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Sakura giggled. Naruto was still so naive sometimes. "Nothing...nothing at all. Now come make yourself useful and grab some plates."

"Where's bushy brows? Can't he do it?"

"Lazy baka! It's your house! Anyway, he's gone. You know Lee. He left at the crack of dawn to run laps around the village yelling at the top of his lungs about the early morning power of youth with Gai-sensei."

"Why would he do that?" Aya asked innocently, not understanding the eccentricities of Rock Lee and Maito Gai.

The other three just burst out laughing.

--

Sasuke stood on the balcony listening to the laughter inside. He still wasn't comfortable around the group of friends, although he stuck it out at the party last night for longer than he normally would have. He'd lived his life since the massacre thinking that friends were a weakness. It's why he had separated himself from the rest of his class at the academy as much as possible. Since everything for him revolved around avenging his clan, he thought he was better off alone, not hindered by emotional attachments. And there were no such things as friends in Sound or on the road. He couldn't trust anyone enough for that. He hadn't even trusted his Sound teammates. But Naruto thrived on being social, so he resigned himself to learning to interact with people. He did say he was starting anew.

But, it didn't have to be today.

"Uchiha." Sasuke glanced over to see Neji on the other side of the balcony. So much for being alone...

"Hyuuga."

Neji leaned casually against the wall looking out at the village. Sasuke leaned forward against the railing and hoped he could ignore the Hyuuga's presence.

"You know..." No such luck for Sasuke. Neji pushed off the wall and walked forward to stand next to the other brunet. "I don't like you. More importantly, I don't trust you. Neither does anyone else here, despite how they might act in front of Naruto. In fact, all of my ninja instincts are screaming at me to keep you away from Naruto. He's our friend and any one of us would give our all to make sure he never hurts again. However...despite what I think, Naruto is happy. And you're the one who makes him that way. I may not like it, but it's true. So if that means having to deal with you, then so be it for Naruto's sake. That doesn't mean any of us will trust you anytime soon. Not by a long shot."

Sasuke looked at the Hyuuga out of the corner of his eye for a moment before going back to staring ahead. Neji turned to glare holes into the Uchiha.

"However, if you dare hurt him again, you'll regret ever coming back here. Don't make the mistake of thinking we're weak. And don't make the mistake of thinking that, because you're an Uchiha and trained with a sannin, you're all powerful. Neither is the case." Neji turned away and walked back inside without another word.

Sasuke continued to stare out at the slowly rebuilding village. He heard the Hyuuga's threat, but didn't acknowledge it. He didn't say it aloud, but he would rather kill himself than hurt Naruto again. He heard the sound of the sliding door opening again and another set of footsteps making it's way onto the balcony and rolled his eyes. He knew by the chakra who it was. Really, was it too much to ask for a moment of peace?

Shikamaru didn't even look in Sasuke's direction as he blew out the smoke from a freshly lit cigarette.

"Neji and Naruto became good friends after you left. So he tends to be a bit overprotective. So does Kiba, ironically. And all the girls, of course - especially Sakura. It's troublesome."

"And you?" Sasuke asked.

"Tch...it's not worth the trouble. Obviously, if the two of you came back together, you must have worked out your differences. And while I may not trust you, I trust him. If you betrayed him again, I wouldn't have to bother going after you. Naruto would take care of you himself. It's the way he would want it anyway. Besides, it would be a drag to have to put forth the effort to kill you." Sasuke raised a brow at that. There was a threat in there somewhere. He was sure of it. Still, he had a feeling that, underneath all of that, the shadow user was giving him a chance.

After the statement, silence grew between them, neither caring enough to bother breaking it. When the cigarette was only a nub, Shikamaru flicked it away and turned to walk away. A hand stopped him. He looked down at the pale hand encircling his arm and shifted his eyes to the face of the man holding it. Sasuke's eye's flicked up to meet his before looking away and letting his arm go.

"Thanks."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Anytime."

* * *

Only two hours later, Naruto and Sasuke were back in the hokage tower sitting in the hokage's office with the task force that they hadn't known existed. An uncomfortable tension settled over the room as Naruto noticed a couple of the council members and the others noticed Sasuke. Before the tension could boil over into hurtful words, Tsunade entered the room. She took her seat and stared at them with a hardened expression. It was one of those flashes of moments that she truly looked like the authority figure she was.

"I have summoned you all because these two have new intel on Akatsuki. Since we already discussed Pein, we can share this information with them as well."

"Can we actually trust anything that comes from _that traitor_?" Inuzuka Tsume practically spat out the last words. She growled in the direction of the two reinstated Konoha ninja, more specifically at Sasuke.

Sasuke appeared unaffected and he turned a blank glaze on the Inuzuka clan head. "You don't have to trust me. Trust Naruto."

She crossed her arms with a huff and a roll of her eyes. "No offense to the blondie, but he's always been blind when it comes to you." She suddenly became the focal point for two pointed glares and flares of killer intent that she almost felt the instinctive need to run from.

"Calm down you two." Tsunade commanded before they swamped the room with their indignant anger. She was happy that at least Tsume hadn't done something stupid like say she didn't trust him because of the Kyuubi. "There are circumstances that none of you know about. Because of that, I can understand your skepticism. However, I trust both of them. Even if I didn't, they have enough information on Akatsuki to make it worth the risk. Naruto mentioned that it was time we stopped having to defend ourselves and go on the offensive and I agree with him."

"Wait. You mean go against the Akatsuki head on?! After what just happened here? Are you crazy?!" Tsume yelled. Tsunade glared at the other woman.

"Are you so doubtful of our ninjas' abilities Tsume? It would be prudent of you to remember that we've already defeated half of them."

"But-" Tsunade held up her hand for silence, getting annoyed by the dog nin.

"We were caught unawares by the attack, that is all. It won't happen again." Tsume still looked skeptical. So did some of the others. Tsunade sighed and decided to elaborate. "Akasuna no Sasori was defeated by Haruno Sakura and the Suna elder Chiyo. Hidan and Kakuzu, both thought to be immortal, were killed by two in this room, Shikamaru and Naruto. Three others were defeated by Uchiha Sasuke - Deidara, Orochimaru, and Uchiha Itachi. So do you really believe that with so many talented ninja in our ranks, including some in this room, we would be unable to take them on?" She didn't bother waiting for an answer. Instead, she opened her drawer and pulled out a scroll. After swiping a bloody thumb across the seal to open the scroll, she passed it to Naruto. "Read it. This is everything we know about Pein. If you have anything else to add, tell us."

Naruto held the scroll so he and Sasuke could both read it. Sasuke didn't show it, but he was surprised that they had gathered so much information on the man. Even having seen him once in Akatsuki before he left, he didn't know anything about him beyond his name. Naruto was reading the descriptions of each body, suddenly understanding why Jiraiya could not have won. He raised an eyebrow at Sasuke._ 'Done?'_

_'Yes.'_

Naruto rolled the scroll back up and passed it back to Tsunade. "Is that all?"

"No. I need your help with something. I know you kind of inherited all of Jiraiya's things." Naruto nodded. Tsunade smiled, albeit a bit strained. "I need you to find all of his notes and look through them. Considering the message he sent us at his death, I have reason to believe that his notes have the same types of codes embedded in them. Since you knew him better than most and knew his writing style, I'm hoping you can find all the anomalies in the notes. You can leave it to Shikamaru's codebreaker squad to decipher the codes, I just need you to point them in the right direction."

"That shouldn't be a problem. I'll have a group of clones work on them. They can have it done in a day."

"Good. Now Uchiha, please tell us what you know."

"Hn." Sasuke gave a nod. "As of now, there are only five original members left. Besides Pein, there is one woman, Konan. I don't know much about her, but her jutsus involve paper and she sticks to Pein like glue. It makes me believe that there was already some kind of relationship between them, maybe even before Akatsuki. There's also Kisame, whom you already have enough intel to go by. Zetsu, he looks like a plant and seems to have a split personality. I'm not too sure of his abilities since I've never seen him use them. I do know that he's usually used as a spy because he can completely conceal himself by merging with the earth."

"That's only four." Tsume remarked.

_'So astute of her.' _Sasuke thought and rolled his eyes. He forgot for a moment that Naruto could still hear him. Naruto choked as he tried to fight the urge to laugh out loud.

_'Don't do that!'_

_'Hn.'_

_'Bastard.'_

_'Dobe.'_

Tsunade cleared her throat and the two stopped their internal bickering to glance at her, Naruto looking sheepish.

"Now that you two are done with your glaring match, do you mind continuing?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously. He looked at Sasuke as uncomfortable feelings passed through their connection. He could practically feel Sasuke clamming up.

_'Sasuke? Are you ok? You want me to tell the rest?'_ Suddenly Sasuke looked grateful and relief flooded through both of them. _'Hmm. I guess I'll take that as a yes.'_

"Uchiha?" Tsunade prompted. Naruto stopped her with a shake of his head.

"I'll take it from here." She glanced at the Uchiha, who now looked like he had put up a defensive wall between himself and everyone else in the room, and nodded in understanding. Naruto took a deep breath before continuing. "The fifth original member will probably be quite a shock for you. The few bits of intelligence on Akatsuki points to Pein as being the leader of the group. That isn't true. The true leader only showed himself a few years ago. He is known as Tobi. But that is just an alias for his true identity. Not only is he the leader of Akatsuki, he is also the former Mizukage. His true name is..." Naruto paused and prepared himself for the reaction he knew he would get, "Uchiha Madara."

Silence. Naruto hazarded a look around and noticed everyone but Tsunade and Sasuke stared at him in disbelief. It even woke Shikamaru for a moment. Tsume sputtered and struggled for something to say. Kakashi was finally the one who broke the silence.

"Naruto, this isn't really the time for one of your pranks."

Naruto glared at the copy ninja, indignant and angry at the very idea that his sensei could even think he was joking about something like this. He was about to tell him exactly what he thought, but he was beaten to it.

"How dare you. Naruto would never joke about something this serious." Sasuke said quietly, but Kakashi practically felt the anger behind it. He held his hands in front of him to placate the angry Uchiha.

"Maa, maa...no offense. But you have to admit, it's somewhat difficult to believe such an outrageous statement considering he's been dead for years."

"Orochimaru's been leeching off of new bodies every three years for years now. Is it so impossible to believe that someone else can do the same?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"But the Shodai killed him! We all know that." Inoichi stated.

"Were you there? I think not...All we have to base that on are the history books. According to that, the Fourth killed the Kyuubi. Evidence in the form of _me _proves that to the contrary. The history books are biased, we all know that. What is true is that the two men battled. It is also true that the Shodai defeated Madara. But, what the history books don't say is that no one ever found Madara's body. If there was one, don't you think the Shodai would've brought at least some bit of evidence of his death back to Konoha? How Madara got away, who knows. But the fact is the man is alive and he hates Konoha and wants to destroy it. It's a well known fact that Madara practically treated the Kyuubi like a pet. So, I'm almost positive that he was the one who summoned it to attack Konoha, hoping it would destroy the village. He didn't plan on the Fourth being able to seal it. Anyways, I'm getting off of the point...Madara is the leader of Akatsuki."

"If that is true..." Inoichi started.

"It is true. I saw him with my own eyes. And talked to him. He has the sharingan to prove it." Sasuke stated.

"There was one Akatsuki member we fought a few years ago. He had an orange mask..." Kakashi mused aloud. "Is that him?" Sasuke and Naruto nodded. "I saw his sharingan when he was about to leave. He was powerful and he basically toyed with us. Naruto's rasengan didn't even seem to phase him."

"We were completely defenseless against Pein and he isn't even the leader? How can we possibly win?" Inoichi asked, looking quite pale at the thought. It wasn't that he didn't believe in their ninja...especially his daughter's class. They were exceptional ninja and Shikamaru was a great strategist but....

"There's more." Sasuke continued. "I left my old team behind when I sneaked away from Akatsuki. I'm not sure how loyal they would be. But, it's important that you know what you might be dealing with. Karin was a subordinate of Orochimaru and she was very loyal to him. The only reason she may not be loyal to Akatsuki is because of her annoying infatuation with me. She's not really a fighter. But she does have abilities that make her unique. She possesses the Kagura Shingan and she can heal others by allowing them to bite her and suck in her chakra. The other two are the ones that you'll have to worry about. Suigetsu was from Kiri and is a former experiment of Orochimaru."

"So he's a water user?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes. He's as good as the Demon Zabuza...in some ways better."

Kakashi's eyes widened at that. "That good?"

"Yes. He even carries his sword. Also, because of Orochimaru's experiments on him, he can shift to liquid form at will and can shape shift as needed. The last one is the most questionable. He has the highest probability of being on our side, but he is also the most unpredictable. Juugo is mentally unstable. He doesn't want to kill and he's a peaceful person when he's stable. But when he is angered he can destroy an entire village on his own. Orochimaru used his blood to create the curse seal. He was only loyal to me because I was the only one that could control him and keep him from killing people."

"So that should be an advantage for us." Kakashi stated.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Madara and I both have the same kind of chakra, even the Kyuubi mentioned the likeness. It's probable he could keep Juugo under control the same way I did. If that's the case, then Juugo's loyalty could possibly shift to him."

"Hmm...We'll need to develop some kind of strategy." Tsunade stated, looking pointedly at the only nin seemingly asleep during the meeting. Inoichi, who was sitting right next to the ninja in question, smacked him upside the head.

"Hm?" Shikamaru asked without opening his eyes.

"Nara, I don't have these meetings so you can sleep. Sleep on your own time. Right now, we need strategy."

"Troublesome woman." He muttered silently so she wouldn't hear. "Fine, leave me your notes and I'll have something by tomorrow." With that, he closed his eyes and went back to slumbering. Tsunade's eye twitched as she muttered angry curses at him.

"I guess that means we'll be back tomorrow?" Naruto asked, his lips twitching into a smile.

"Shut up brat. And yes, tomorrow, 10 a.m. I'll expect some strategy from Shikamaru. Naruto, I want a report of all your findings tomorrow as well. For now, you're all dismissed."

* * *

It was early evening and the best friends were in their secret training ground. They were still in their respective henges. it would remain that way until the council was dealt with. So, for now, the two males remained brother and sister. Naruto, in kunoichi gear, brought along the giant scroll that contained all of the toad sannin's work. He had also brought along his father's scroll. Maybe if he had some time, he would check it out. But first he had to deal with ero-sennin's extensive notes.

"Do you really think you'll find anything?" Sasuke asked the blond.

"Well, if anyone can find anything it would be me. Ero-sennin had really crappy handwriting and I've gotten used to deciphering it over the years. I was the only one able to notice that, what everyone thought was a number, was actually a katakana in his coded message about Pein. It was only a few days later that I was banished. So I never knew what happened after that. Anyways, once I find all of the clues, the decoding should be easy for the codebreakers. I have a feeling that all the information will be imbedded in his novels just like the first one."

"Interesting."

"Eh...not really." Naruto formed a tiger seal. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." A couple of hundred clones appeared behind him. "Split off into 20 groups of 10. Then grab a scroll and get to work. You know what to do." With multiple yells that had Sasuke grimacing and holding his hands to his ears, the clones separated and started reading.

Meanwhile, Naruto grabbed his father's scroll and he and Sasuke moved to the other side of the clearing to look at it.

But he didn't open it.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the dobe. Naruto grinned a bit sheepishly before he looked down at the scroll he still hadn't opened yet.

"Sorry...it's just...in here is the Yondaime's most prized jutsu." He trailed his fingers over the edge of the scroll carefully, almost as if he thought it would fall apart if he touched it too hard.

"Hn."

"It's what made him famous."

"Yes."

"It's what made him a hero after the war with Iwa."

"..."

"This is what gave him the name 'The Yellow Flash.'"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Spare me the history lesson Dobe. I already know it. Just get on with it."

"My father really thinks I can learn this...." His fingers still grazed the edges and his eyes stared down at the scroll in awe.

"Usuratonkachi...you'll never be able to learn it if you don't OPEN IT!"

"Fine teme, jeez. I can't even have a nice sentimental moment with you around."

"I'm not sentimental."

"You're just a cold bastard."

"You're right, I am. Now quit stalling. I'd like to leave this area sometime today."

"Yeah, yeah, fine." He unrolled the scroll. The very last justu on the scroll was what he was looking for. The Hiraishin. They read the directions together and then their similar eyebrows rose at the same time. Naruto sighed. "This is going to be hell to learn."

"Hn." Sasuke couldn't help but agree.

Naruto pulled the unusual kunai from his pocket that Kakashi gave him and examined it. Sasuke took it from him and gave it a look as well. It was a three pronged kunai and carved into the handle was a seal.

"Maybe we should start with figuring this out first. It looks like you'll need a seal before we even attempt to do anything else."

Naruto took the kunai back and looked closer at the seal. After a few minutes of examination, he nodded to himself and placed it on the grass.

"Well, from what I can tell, the seal doesn't look like it will be too hard to duplicate. The problem is I will have to make it singular to me. This one is specially designed for him. It only responds to his chakra signature. I'll have to create one that will respond to mine." Naruto scratched his head. "While were on that subject, if we're going to make this work effectively, we'll need to find someone to make a bunch of those special kunai for us. Someone who won't talk."

"Hn. I'll ask Kakashi. He might know who made the originals." Sasuke glanced at Naruto to find him already hard at work on a seal. On the surface, the seal looked simple. However, it was really 2 separate seals put together. Sasuke grew confused just watching it...he supposed if he studied seals the way Naruto did, it would be that simple. He suddenly had more respect, not just for Naruto, but for anyone who was a sealmaster. Sasuke decided he'd be better off concentrating on the technical details and went back to reading the scroll.

After going through about 5 sheets of paper, Naruto finally was able to create the seals he needed. "Alright, I think I've got it." Sasuke glanced at the seals and nodded.

"Now, insert some of your chakra into the seal." Naruto did as Sasuke directed and allowed a bit of his chakra to flow from his finger and into the seal.

"Now what?"

"Now we find out if it works. Give it a try."

"Uhh...how?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"Well I don't know either. You're the one that read the directions!"

Sasuke sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "All I know is that this is a time and space manipulation jutsu. You...wait a minute..." He frowned in thought.

"What?"

"Shut up and let me think dobe."

"Teme."

Sasuke ignored the usual insult. He really didn't understand time and space manipulation. Never thought about it, really. But wouldn't summoning be considered that type of manipulation? They summoned animals all the time from some other world they knew nothing about. He supposed an animal could do the same with a person they have a contract with. So in this case a person would just have to "Summon yourself...of course."

"Huh?"

"This will sound weird...actually, no, it shouldn't. You just created the seal after all. Just look at it. What kind of seal is it?"

Naruto looked confused, but looked at the seals he had just drawn out. After a few minutes of staring, suddenly what Sasuke muttered made sense."

"Of course...I'm so stupid. Why didn't I notice that in the first place?" Naruto took a deep breath and let it out as he concentrated. Now he understood the basic principles behind the technique. It was basically a summons. So, it was just a matter of getting his body to cooperate. He'd summoned toads, no problem. But how exactly were you supposed to summon yourself?

Three hours later, Naruto still didn't have an answer.

"UGH!"

Sasuke chuckled. By this time, he had started working on some of the lightning techniques he'd been given from Naruto. He'd already figured out a few of them in all the time Naruto still hadn't learned just one jutsu.

"Shut up teme. I bet you wouldn't get this so easily either."

"I bet I could."

"Hmph!" Naruto sat on the ground once again and drew up a whole new seal. Sasuke was wondering why, until Naruto pushed the sheet toward him. "Put your chakra into it."

"What? Why?"

"You said you could figure it out easier than me. Prove it." Naruto crossed his arms with a glare at his 'brother.'

Sasuke blinked. He wanted to groan. He had a feeling he'd just bitten off more than he could chew. But he would not back down. "Fine."

Two hours later, he was just as stumped as Naruto. And it humbled him. He was used to being able to perform any jutsu easily and he was quite a bit perturbed that he'd been successful not even once. What he hated even more was the way his 'sister' grinned at him .

"Not so easy, is it?" Naruto asked from his spot on the other side of the clearing, where he was getting the hang of using a water whip.

"Hn."

Naruto chuckled and got rid of the water whip. He walked closer, grinning at the Uchiha the whole way, who was, dare he say, sulking.

"Careful teme. You almost look like you're pouting." Sasuke glared and Naruto laughed aloud. He was used to the Uchiha's glare. It didn't hold the same power anymore.

"Here." He tossed the paper back at the blond. "I have a feeling this jutsu is only meant for you."

"Why do you say that?"

"The Yondaime created the jutsu. It might be something only those of his blood would be able to use. Kind of like the sharingan."

"The sharingan is a _doujutsu_."

"No duh." Naruto glared and went on.

"And Kakashi seems to have no problem using it."

"Actually you're wrong there. As you know, the sharingan was created for the Uchiha bloodline. Yes, Kakashi is able to use it, but not the way we do. First of all, because it's a transplanted eye, he can't shut it off. It also drains his chakra very quickly compared with an Uchiha, whose chakra pathways are made to withstand such use of the eye. I don't feel any strain on my eye or my chakra when I use the sharingan."

"But the mangekyou-"

"That's different. That is the curse of having the higher form of the sharingan. The threat of blindness does not apply to the regular sharingan. Anyway, the point is this jutsu may depend on your chakra as a Namikaze. If not, then couldn't any other shinobi have learned it?"

"But what about the Kyuubi's chakra? Wouldn't it interfere?"

"Doesn't matter. You already told me that the Kyuubi's chakra converts to your own unless you're in a dire emotional situation that causes you to lose it." Sasuke swirled the end of the singular kunai around his finger before holding it out to the blond. "I say we pack it in for the night and give it a try tomorrow. I have a feeling if you duplicate those seals and use your clones, you'll figure it out."

"Yeah...Alright." Naruto took the kunai and pocketed it.

"Take care of your clones. I'll get prepared to deal with Danzou."

"I'm coming with you, you know."

"Actually, you're not."

"What the hell do you mean I'm not?! I want to see that bastard get his."

"I'm sure. But it's better I do this alone."

"Dammit teme! Why do you always think you have to do things alone?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"It's not like that. Danzou doesn't know I'm back in Konoha. He thinks I'm still a missing nin. As long as he thinks that way, I can use it to my advantage." Naruto crossed his arms over his chest.

"What are you planning to do?"

"I'll act like I'm sneaking in to kill him-"

"Aren't you though?"

"Well, yes, but he doesn't need to know that. Quit interrupting." Naruto rolled his eyes and gestured for him to continue. "Once I sneak in, I'll use a bit of persuasion to get him talking. I'm hoping he'll get on a roll and start gloating. And that's when I'll catch him." He didn't want Naruto to see the things he was _really_ planning to do. Kabuto's methods were quite effective...and very painful...lethal even, in the right amounts. He'd watched and learned when Kabuto wasn't looking. He was glad that lately they've been learning how to block their thoughts when they needed to. Naruto didn't need to know the sadistic things he'd learned.

Naruto frowned. He wasn't happy about this development at all. But he knew Sasuke was right. He knew there was something else though. The teme was blocking him from reading his thoughts and that was enough to send up warning flags. But if it meant that there would no longer be a council to undermine baa-chan's or any other hokage's authority, then so be it. He would allow Sasuke to do what he needed.

"Fine teme...do what you want."

Sasuke smirked. He understood what Naruto was really saying.

"I will."

* * *

It was late and the streets of Konoha were deserted. A slight breeze blew, kicking up dust, but the lone person walking the street didn't notice. The figure walked with quiet, graceful, and confident steps. Slivers of moonlight slipped from behind the clouds, bathing the figure in moonlight - but only for a moment. It was only enough time to reveal that the figure was a male with a white shirt opened at the chest, revealing milky white skin, and black pants held up with a large purple rope tied in a bow at the back. For just a moment, the light glinted off the hilt of the sword before the moon disappeared behind the clouds once again.

The man slipped through the door of the Konoha prison and slowly made his way down the hallways, knowing exactly where he was going. Not one person stopped his descent into the lower cells. Only when he reached the lowest level did another person stop him with a low whisper.

"Here Uchiha."

Sasuke looked over at the head of Torture and Investigation and held out his hand. Ibiki passed him a key and a recording device. Sasuke gave him a nod of thanks and attached the device to his hip before walking deeper into the dark hallway. He placed his hand on the ground and summoned four snakes. He pointed to the door and what lay beyond it.

"Bind."

The snakes slithered away to do his bidding. Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes. This was the moment he'd been waiting for. He took a deep breath before opening his eyes. The orbs had turned ice cold to match his blank face.

Now he was ready.

He unlocked the door and closed it behind him. Then he went through some hand signs for a silencing jutsu. Once complete, Sasuke turned to look at the prisoner. His sharingan flashed in the darkness and he heard a slight gasp from the other occupant.

"You!"

Sasuke said nothing as he moved to the corner of the room where the only possible source of light sat. A small katon jutsu lit the lantern, enough to bathe the cell in muted light. It was enough for both inhabitants to see the restraints that held the prisoner against the wall.

"Danzou." The raven finally acknowledged. The man flinched as one of the snakes slithered up and around his neck like a noose. The other three snakes held his arms and legs captive, just sort of squeezing the circulation out of them. "Like my pets?"

Danzou ignored the question and dealt out a smirk of his own. "So, the prodigal son has returned. Do you really think they'll accept you back with open arms Uchiha?"

Sasuke chuckled darkly. "Do you think I care? I could care less about Konoha. I'm only here for you."

"Ah...Are you here to kill me boy? Even if you succeed, you won't get out of here alive."

"So you say. But no matter...I'm only here to talk for the moment. What happens after that...depends." He summoned another snake, this time a coral colored cobra who didn't look too happy at being summoned.

"Why have you ssssummoned me Sssasuke-sssama?"

"Bite him."

The snake glared at the body of Danzou then at Sasuke. "Why ssshould I? He doesn't look tasssty enough to eat. What will I get in return?"

"You'll get to leave here alive instead of in bite sized pieces." Sasuke replied coldly while pulling his kusanagi and holding it close to the cobra to make his point. The snake hissed angrily in response and flicked his tongue out before slithering up one shriveled up leg where he latched his fangs onto a spot behind the calf muscle, dug in deeply and injected it's venom. Danzou flinched at the pain. After doing it's job, the cobra gave Sasuke one last haughty glare before disappearing.

Sasuke came closer until he could stare Danzou in the eye. "I'm sure you know enough about snakes to know that was a cobra. I'll bet you're already starting to feel the effects of the venom injected into you. A small amount of it's venom will render you paralyzed until the venom is purged from your system. A larger dose makes your entire system shut down one by one in a painful fashion. The end result is, of course, fatal." For the first time, Sasuke allowed himself to smirk. "Can you still move your fingers? Wiggle your toes?" Danzou tried...he couldn't move anything below his head.

"Go to hell Uchiha!" Danzou growled. Sasuke glared.

"You go first." The raven was now holding a scalpel in the old man's face. Danzou chuckled at the sight.

"As if something like that would hurt me."

Sasuke chuckled. The malice in the sound reminded Danzou of another Uchiha and just the thought caused a shiver to go down his spine. With a wave of Sasuke's hand, the other snakes disappeared, leaving the elder looking deceptively free. Danzou snarled in frustration. He was free to move, but was completely incapacitated. Sasuke's smirk reappeared. "You forget where I spent 3 years of my life. Orochimaru and Kabuto are both about as sick as they come. They loved to experiment. Better yet, Kabuto made using a scalpel into an art form. I learned a thing or two from him." Sasuke shifted the scalpel so the firelight gleamed over the razor sharp edge.

"Have you ever had a papercut Danzou? I'm sure you have...everyone has at some point. Just imagine having that feeling all over your body. You see, not only is this blade sharp enough to cut through a strand of my hair, chakra can be fed through the blade to cause even more pain. Like this." He made one thin cut into the leathery skin of one arm. At first, Danzou looked upon the young Uchiha with a smug expression. The cut didn't even hurt. Sasuke's smirk widened at the smug expression. It was only a matter of time.

Then Danzou felt it.

It started as a slight sting, just like a papercut. The sting turned to throbbing, then to a burning pain like fire. He bit his lip to hold back a hiss.

"It's wonderful what can be done with a blade and the fire element, isn't it? Imagine feeling this over every inch of your body. Ready to answer some questions for me yet or would you like to see what it feels like with lightning?"

Danzou cringed inwardly but didn't speak.

"I guess that's a no." Sasuke went back to the arm and made series of small incisions. Danzou tensed, but didn't say a word. He moved the blade to the man's chest and carved a line down the middle of his chest from neck to stomach. He really hoped Danzou would crack soon. He really did not want to resort to using Tsukiyomi. He'd like to save his eyes for something more important like the impending battle with Akatsuki. That sudden thought shocked him. He never thought he would find anything more important than getting his revenge against Danzou and the council. When had his priorities changed?

More little cuts were made over exposed skin...arm, chest, stomach, legs, back. Danzou hated this. The pain was almost unbearable, especially since he couldn't move to attempt to avoid it. He would be able to bear it if he could move. He wanted to flinch and squirm every time the blade touched his skin, but couldn't. He couldn't even blank out his mind to forget the pain...every time he would try, the burn became more intense. With every line carved into his body, with every fiery burn...every electrical shock...he felt his hardened resistance fleeing. Eventually, even he, the head of Root, couldn't hold back a moan of pain.

Sasuke snorted scornfully, though he inwardly grinned. Now it was time to bait the man into spilling his guts.

"You think this is painful? This is nothing compared to the amount of pain my family went through, me included. And the fault lies with you."

"Me?" Danzou struggled to speak through the pain. "That...was your brother's doing...not mine."

"The orders came from you and the council."

"That's right....And he followed them." His words came in spurts between shuddering gasps. "Such a good little...shinobi Itachi was. He was exactly...what a shinobi should be. Emotionless, did what was in...the best interests of the village. He was...the perfect example of a shinobi. It's why he was chosen. We gave him a choice. He could've refused...if he wanted to. But he didn't. Don't blame me...for his choice."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Like hell he had a choice! It was an order from the council. No one refuses an order from the council. You knew he wouldn't refuse it, no matter what it cost him. You manipulated him."

Danzou painfully chuckled. "The price of politics boy....Deal with it. It's the way...the world works."

Sasuke flung the scalpel angrily. It embedded itself into the wall, right next to Danzou's head. The older man could hear the hum of chakra still present in the dangerous instrument. The Uchiha pulled his katana and pointed it at Danzou's heart. The lantern light reflected off the blade, making it look hellish.

"Oh...did I make you angry boy? Are you going to kill me now?" Danzou baited. "Go ahead...You'll be the one taking over...this cell when the guards catch you."

"Death is too good for you after all you've done." The tip of the blade pierced skin and Danzou hissed. Blood pooled out and around the tip of the katana. It was taking a lot of control on Sasuke's part not to just finish the job and be done with it. But he had to get the information out of him first. "Besides, if anyone really cared about you, then what are you doing in this cell?"

"A tactical error I plan to fix." Danzou suddenly smirked. "How would you like to be part of it?"

If Sasuke wasn't standing in the light he would've grinned. The man was pompous, proud, and very much delusional if he thought Sasuke would willingly work with him. Perfect...things were going exactly the way he planned. The man would now be playing right into his hands.

"What makes you think I would be interested in helping you?"

"Power, of course. Isn't that what you wanted Sasuke? Isn't that why you left the village? To seek out the power you couldn't seem to gain here?"

"And I got all the power I desired. So what more could you possibly offer me?" Sasuke lowered the katana to point at the floor. He would play the game.

Danzou, although mostly paralyzed and in pain, suddenly seemed less frail. His eyes twinkled with evil intent. He thought he had the last Uchiha in the palm of his hand by tempting him with power.

"I still plan to overthrow the hokage. It's in the best interests of Konoha that I do so. I have half the council behind me, as well as the leader of Akatsuki. He sent aid to me before, I'm sure he'll be willing to send more." Sasuke almost flinched when he heard that. Madara and Danzou were working together? But then...that means Danzou is directly connected with Akatsuki. He was sure the Godaime would love to hear that. She would kill him herself if he wasn't already planning to take care of that. "With you by my side, all of my Root forces with me, and Akatsuki's assistance, we will succeed. I will name you my successor. And once I have reformed the village the way I want it, I will retire and allow you to rule. That's not such a bad deal, is it?"

"And you say the council is behind you in this?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow. He only needed specifics and his job would be complete.

"Some of them...the most important ones anyway - my fellow elders, as well as the two village seats. And since you are the Uchiha heir, you have a place waiting for you on the council, as well. Join me and I will make sure you have all the power you could ever desire."

Sasuke was silent for a while. And then he began to chuckle. A dark chuckle that raised the hairs on Danzou's skin...or was that because of the sudden feel of electrical particles in the air?

"Pathetic! You think I would become a tool for you? You may have used my brother that way, but you will not use me. I already have all the power I need." Sasuke dropped his katana. "Although, I will do what is in the best interest of Konoha right now." He went through hand signs and held his left hand out in front of him as crackles of electricity sparked. "Chidori!"

The room may have been soundproofed, but every person in the prison - ninja or prisoner - felt their hair stand on end as if lightning was about to strike. And Ibiki stood by and watched the bluish glare signaling the use of electricity. He was not about to step in...didn't want to. He'd heard many things through the grapevine over the years. It was his belief that Danzou had it coming for a long time. Uchiha Sasuke was as good an executioner as anyone else.

A few minutes later, Sasuke emerged. He silently passed over the key and the recorder then walked away, back through the hallway, up the stairs, and out into the night.

--

--

_Edited 03/22/2010_

**Kagura Shingan - **Minds Eye of the Kagura - Ability to find, sense and track through chakra.**  
**

**a/n:** Finally a new chapter! Sorry it took so long to post this chapter. Between death in the family and family coming in for the Memorial Day weekend and one of my good friends having a baby, I've been a busy girl. Thank you so much for your reviews! I do read them all, but I was so busy it took me forever to answer them all. I'm already starting work on the next chapter, so it shouldn't take too long. Hey, did you notice I titled my chapters now? I like it better than numbers for chapter titles. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. As you know, my muse has a mind of it's own sometimes. I had originally planned a much more gruesome torture session for Danzou. It turned more into a bit of torture and a lot of mind games and manipulation. I hope it worked well enough.


	27. Plans and Punishments

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

**Warning: **Spoilers for future manga chapters. I hope you're keeping up.

**a/n:** This chapter is long. Very very long... And just for the record, I have no idea of the scientific principles behind how the hiraishin works. What you'll read is my own interpretation.

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 26 -Plans and Punishments  
**

* * *

--

**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

--

Sasuke kept his composure all the way back to the apartment. But now that he was at the building, he wasn't sure he wanted to go in. Why? Because he knew Naruto well enough to know the idiot wouldn't sleep. The dobe would stay awake, no matter how long it took, until he got there. And he didn't really want to see the dobe right now. He sighed as he put one foot in front of the other and climbed the stairs slowly. The dread was creeping up on him the further up the steps he got and it made him want to turn around and run the other way. The moment he opened the door, Naruto would immediately ask questions, he was sure of it. But right now, he didn't think he could deal with any questions without breaking down.

Unfortunately, before he knew it, he was looking at his...Naruto's...their? apartment number. His feet had unconsciously taken him right where he needed to go. He wished his feet had taken him in some other direction. But really, where could he go that would make him feel better?

A chill settled over him as he stared at the door. He really had no choice now but to open it.

The room was dark. Good. Hopefully the dobe had gone to bed. Sasuke closed the door and locked it behind him. He stepped out of his shoes and quietly went through the living room towards the hall.

"Sasuke?"

He froze. He heard a yawn and some movement and then Naruto was next to him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey....How did it go?"

He knew the dobe going to bed was wishful thinking. Damn Naruto's curiosity! He took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. It still didn't help his wavering control. Not now...he couldn't talk...not right now.

"I...I'll tell you in the morning."

"But-" Sasuke glanced to the side wearily, just enough to see a bit of Naruto's profile.

"I've had a really long day Naruto. I need a shower. Then I need sleep. So please, just...in the morning."

The hand left his shoulder and Sasuke almost felt cold and bereft without it. Great...Naruto's probably pissed at him now.

"Alright." Sasuke's eyes went wide. Naruto actually let it go?

"I left a towel and a change of clothes in the bathroom. I figured you'd want a shower." Naruto stated quietly and started walking away. He knew Sasuke was hurting. And he knew the teme was trying to keep it from him. But he didn't want Sasuke to shut himself off from him completely like he did when the were young. It was bad enough he'd been blocking their connection since this afternoon. So, he decided to allow him the time he wanted.

"Uh..." Naruto stopped at the sound of Sasuke's voice, but he didn't turn back. "Thanks."

Naruto smiled although Sasuke didn't see it. "Sure." He slipped into his bedroom, leaving Sasuke alone in the hallway.

--

Sasuke closed the bathroom door and leaned against it. He saw the fluffy white towel and a pile of clothes on the counter. Stupid dobe...he was way too good to him. He really deserved more than a friend like him.

With a sigh, he removed his clothing piece by piece. He looked down with disgust at the clothes he dropped to the floor. He hated those clothes. It was a reminder of where he had been...Orochimaru...his life in Sound. He wanted to set fire to it to make sure he'd never EVER wear it again. He stepped over the offending pile and into the shower. He got the water going and stood under the hot spray, letting it soothe him and cleanse his soul. The dried blood on his hand slowly dissolved and went down the drain. If only his personal demons could disappear so easily.

What he'd just done reminded him of when Itachi died. In all the years he'd dreamed of his revenge, he had imagined that he would be proud, relieved, even a bit happy at knowing he'd avenged his family. The real thing was a rude awakening. Instead of feeling proud, relieved or happy, he had felt empty...lost. This time though, he just felt emotionally drained. He'd carried out another act of vengeance, but he didn't feel any better for it.

In fact, he felt a bit sick.

Sure he would admit to wanting to kill Danzou. But torture was something he didn't do. That was Kabuto's thing. He may have had to watch Kabuto, but he'd never actually planned on employing any of his techniques. But he had. And it was enough for him to wonder exactly how sick and sadistic Kabuto really was to enjoy the sessions the way he did.

If this was how he felt, did that mean he was still human?

He wondered....

Sometimes he felt more like a demon than Konoha professed Naruto to be.

--

Sasuke blinked open his eyes, wondering what had awoken him. He heard the clang of a pot and then a curse from Naruto. He looked at the clock on the nightstand and was shocked to see how late it was. He was usually up before dawn. With a sigh, he rolled flat on his back and stared up at the ceiling. He had no desire to get out of bed. He knew he would have to face Naruto eventually, but he wasn't sure he was ready to talk.

Unfortunately, his stomach refused to agree with his desire. And the smells wafting to the room from the kitchen were making his stomach growl until he could no longer bear it.

Guess there was no help for it.

He got up with a groan and grabbed a pair of sweats and pulled them on over his boxers. The black t-shirt he wore to bed would do for now. While running his fingers through his wayward hair, he opened the door and walked up the hall to the table next to the kitchen. He was surprised to see a glass of tomato juice and a plate of food already waiting for him. He sat down and wasted no time gulping down some of the juice. Well, at least the blond knew him well enough to know what he liked. The dobe must have heard him get up. Him and his enhanced hearing...

Naruto turned with a grin, his arms littered with suds from washing the morning's dishes. "Hey sleepyhead! It's about time you got out of bed." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Hn."

"Well, go on...eat up. I heated it up for you."

"Thanks." He mumbled and dug in. "Where's Aya?"

"Gone. Left a couple of hours ago. Something's going on though...she was supposed to work with baa-chan today, but Sakura came to pick her up instead and said she'd be working with her today."

"Hn." Sasuke was sure it was because Ibiki had passed along the recording to the hokage.

Naruto sat down across from Sasuke, who immediately tensed at the close proximity.

"Does this have anything to do with what happened last night?"

Sasuke glared. "Dobe, I told you-"

"You said in the morning. And, as you can see, it's morning...almost noon. Sasuke, talk to me. Whatever happened is bothering you."

"It's not bothering me."

"Right...and that's why you're snapping at me every time I bring it up. And why you haven't allowed me into your mind at all since yesterday?"

"Naruto...you don't want to know."

"You're probably right. But I need to know."

"Just leave it."

"No!"

Sasuke sighed and pushed away his half eaten plate. He couldn't eat anymore and he certainly couldn't stay here. He got up and began to walk away.

"Dammit teme!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm and pulled him back, only to punch him.

"What the hell dobe?!" He yelled as he scrambled off the floor. He gingerly touch his cheek where he knew a bruise would soon form.

Naruto stood there with his head down and both hands clenched into fists. "You hypocritical bastard! You want me to stop feeling sorry for myself, open up and tell you about all my problems and shit... But it's ok for you to keep everything to yourself and suffer in silence. You always pull this crap and I'm not going to let you. So quit being a bastard and tell me what happened!"

"He's dead alright! Is that what you wanted to hear?" Sasuke yelled.

Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's a start." Sasuke cursed and punched the wall behind him. Naruto cringed at the fist sized dent. He watched as the Uchiha sat down and the pale face became a blank mask. "Don't do that. Don't shut me out." He took a seat next to the eerily calm brunet. "Talk to me Sasuke."

"About what dobe?" He asked in a weary voice. "About how I killed him? How I went into the cell and brutally tortured him for answers? About how I've become just like...them?" He sighed and slumped. Naruto saw the dark eyes that were hard as flint moments ago suddenly fill with emotion. "Even when I was in Sound, I always said I would never become like them. It wasn't much to go on about, but I prided myself in not killing anyone without reason. Orochimaru hated that part of me that refused to be an indiscriminate killer. He used to make me watch his experiments. It disgusted me...the things he did...toying with life after life for his own stupid and selfish reasons. He was a sick bastard. And then he would make me observe Kabuto, who I soon found was just as bad as Orochimaru. I understood why he kept someone like him around. Kabuto...he thrived on seeing other people's pain - whether it be physical or emotional. He had sadistic, brutal methods of torture. I watched some of the strongest people succumb to him. I saw all the methods he used, remembered them all. And I used one of them."

"And do you think Danzou was undeserving of such treatment? You needed and got him to talk didn't you?"

"Yes, but-"

"You only saved him from dying later. He would've gotten the death penalty."

"That's not the point dobe!"

"You're not like them Sasuke."

Sasuke sighed and looked away. "How would you know?" Naruto grabbed the pale chin and forced Sasuke to face him.

"Because if you were, we wouldn't be having this conversation. You wouldn't be torturing yourself like this." The blond gave him a small smile. "You're not like them." Sasuke stared into the deep pools of blue, searching for sincerity. Finally, he released a sigh and let down the mental walls that he'd had up for so long. Naruto could suddenly feel a rush of painful emotions that made him want to cry...or hug the teme.

Neither was a good idea right now.

"Naruto, I found out something important. The other two elders were working with him. And two others on the council." He paused to let that sink in before he went on. "And Madara is helping him."

Naruto gasped at that piece of information. "What?! How much did Danzou know about him?"

"He knows that Madara is the leader of Akatuski. He also knew Madara was the former Mizukage....that shows how long they've been plotting."

"But then why am I still alive? If he already was working with him, I should've been in Akatsuki's hands years ago."

"Unless he figured it was too risky to just hand you over to them. He did want to be hokage, after all. Maybe he got you banished hoping you would get caught by Akatsuki. Then no one would be able to implicate him of being involved in it."

"Yeah...maybe."

"I have a feeling that's why Aya is with Sakura today. The hokage is probably going over everything she heard right now."

* * *

Tsunade had just finished listening to the recording that was given to her by Ibiki. She found it enlightening, yet very disturbing, and she rubbed her temples with her index fingers to try and stave off the impending headache.

She had to admit, the Uchiha's methods were quite effective. Obviously, it was very painful. He did get the Danzou to talk, although killing him wasn't part of the plan. But she probably should've expected it, under the circumstances. Unfortunately, it did leave her with quite a complicated mess. She had to go to the council with this. And she was not looking forward to it because she knew the four persons involved would try their best to use this against the Uchiha in order to take the spotlight off of Danzou. She couldn't allow that to happen, especially since they have no idea the brat has already been reinstated as a Konoha ninja. They would end up clamoring for her head and his. She sighed.

If only Shizune hadn't confiscated her hidden stash of sake.

"SHIZUNE!"

There was the sound of books dropping and feet running down the hall. The door flew open and Shizune held onto it breathing hard.

"Yes Tsunade-sama?"

"I need Ibiki in my office now! Also, alert the council. There will be an emergency meeting in one hour."

"Right away Tsunade-sama." Shizune disappeared as fast as she came. After the door closed, Tsunade silently cursed her assistant.

--

The members of the council talked in whispers among one another. All of them wondered why an emergency meeting had been called. Some figured it had to do with Danzou. Others silently hoped it had nothing to do with Danzou.

Tsunade walked in and took her seat, immediately silencing the chatter with her presence.

"Why have you called this emergency meeting Tsunade?" The Daimyo asked.

"I have received some disturbing and incriminating evidence against Danzou and I believe all of you should hear it so that we can make a decision."

"And what evidence have you received?" Utatane Koharu asked warily.

Without a word Tsunade held up the recording device. She really wanted to smirk at the older woman. She would have to reward herself later for keeping a straight face. She glanced at the two village representatives, Kurayami and Hayashi. They both looked nervous. Utatane and Mitokado, if they were nervous at all, didn't show it.

"This was recorded last night, unknowing to the individuals involved." Ok, she stretched the truth just a bit...Sasuke was the one who recorded it, but they didn't need to know that.

"Well, if it involves Danzou, shouldn't he be here to answer to his charges?" Koharu asked.

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

"Then this meeting must be adjourned and post-"

"Danzou won't be at any meetings of this council. He is dead."

A collective gasp went through the chamber before silence reigned.

"How?" Homura asked, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"It is unknown, as yet. I just found out this morning from Ibiki. An official investigation into his death has begun. I will let you know as soon as the results of the investigation have been given to me. Now, if there are no further questions, I'd like to start the recording." With a nod from the Daimyo, the recording began to play.

* * *

Naruto stared down at the peculiar kunai in his hand. He usually brimmed with confidence, but not this time.

"Are you planning to actually give it a shot? Or are you just going to sit here and contemplate it not working?" Sasuke asked, folding his arms over his chest and raising his eyebrow in that way Naruto hated.

"Shut up teme. I'm just thinking."

"Too much if you ask me. Look, you've never failed in anything you've tried so I doubt you will now."

"Yeah...you're right." Naruto sighed. Then he tossed the kunai on the ground next to the scroll.

"You aren't going to practice?" Sasuke asked.

"Maybe I'll try to work on lightning jutsus first."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

"With your help, of course."

"Hn."

"Is that a good 'hn' or a bad 'hn?'"

"Hn."

"Quit being an ass, teme, and help me."

"I don't remember saying I would help you. I have my own work to do."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pleeeeeeaaaasssse?"

"Still no."

"Come on teme! Just show me how to do it and I'll figure out the rest on my own."

Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes, but he did relent. "Fine dobe." He put down the scroll he was working on and turned to face his friend. "Alright then, let's start with the basics." He grabbed a regular kunai and gestured for Naruto to do the same. "Obviously you learned how to channel wind chakra through a blade. I want you to try to do the same thing, but this time using lightning."

"Uh...how do I do that?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke shrugged. "Lightning comes easy for me, so I'm not sure what to tell you. Maybe you should concentrate on the feeling of lightning." Naruto's nose crinkled in confusion. Sasuke almost laughed. Naruto looked, dare he say, cute like that. "Hmm...actually, just forget the whole kunai thing..." He dropped his kunai on the ground. Sasuke crossed his arms and looked up slightly as he tried to think of something that would help. Then he nodded decisively. "That could work," he muttered to himself.

Naruto was surprised to see Sasuke step forward into his space. The Uchiha raised his finger to hover over the tanned skin of Naruto's arm.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"I'm going to try to show you what lightning chakra feels like...I think." Naruto looked skeptical.

"You think? You don't sound too sure about what you're doing here. I'm not looking to be turned into crispy fried Naruto, you know."

"Idiot." Sasuke said with a slight smile and shake of his head. "Just go with it here...this is new territory for both of us." Naruto took a deep breath then nodded, preparing to feel a shock.

"If you really do have any lightning affinity in you at all, this shouldn't affect you too badly." At the 'too badly', Naruto's eyes widened in panic and he waved his arms in front of him.

"Wait! You did that thing to me at Orochimaru's hideout. It paralyzed me. So wouldn't that prove I can't?"

"I don't know...I was using a concentrated amount of chakra at the time, so even if you were a lightning user, the attack would probably still affect you to some extent. So, I doubt that proves anything. Maybe you were too weak from using the Kyuubi's chakra, or because you hadn't started using elemental chakra yet. Who knows.... I have a feeling that because you're much stronger now than you were back then, the outcome will be different. Besides, the Fourth said you should be able to use it and, considering he's well known for his genius, I'm inclined to believe him. And I'm hoping that since we're slightly connected by blood now, you'll have a bit more of an advantage." Naruto sighed and tried to relax.

"Alright...I guess I'm ready then." Sasuke nodded and concentrated his chakra into one finger and allowed a trickle of lightning to move over Naruto's skin.

"Feel that?"

"Yeah..." Naruto shivered slightly and closed his eyes as he concentrated on the feeling. He could feel the hairs on his arm standing up. "It kinda feels like a hum or buzz against my skin."

"Good, that means it's not rejecting you. Otherwise, it wouldn't feel very...pleasant. Now I want you to see if you can use my lightning chakra to form your own." Naruto's eyes flew open.

"Huh? But how?"

"How should I know? You'll have to figure that out."

"And you're supposed to be a genius. Alright, let me try this..." Naruto held his right hand up, palm facing outward, a few inches away from Sasuke's finger - which was still sending out tendrils of lightning. Naruto could feel it sparking against his skin and he tried to visualize moving that bit of chakra around his hand like he did with wind. A few minutes later he heard a slight crackling and opened his eyes to see a spark emitting from his hand to Sasuke's. The lightning moved back and forth between them and he couldn't help but grin at the sight. Sasuke grinned back in response then stopped his own flow of chakra and stepped back. The lightning continued to swirl around Naruto's hand.

"Now, try forcing that chakra into your kunai."

"Alright." Naruto moved the kunai from his left hand to his right and concentrated on pushing the chakra into the blade. A good ten minutes went by before he was finally able to do it. "Yes! I got it." He yelled with a grin.

"Hn." Sasuke nodded. "Now, I've gotten you that far. Once you've figured out the Hiraishin, I'll show you some easy lightning jutsus."

"You really believe I can do this, don't you?"

"If I didn't, I would be on the other side of the clearing right now practicing my own jutsus instead of wasting my time with a idiot like you."

Naruto smiled and looked away. He knew the teasing words were Sasuke's way of telling him he believed in him. He was touched. "Whatever teme...Well, I guess I'll go practice over there."

"Yeah, you go do that." Sasuke waved him off and walked away to do some training of his own.

--

An couple of hours later, the clones had disappeared and Naruto and Sasuke were standing side by side again looking down at the same three pronged kunai, which now had a new seal affixed to it.

"You changed it again?"

"Yeah. I added one more thing. Unfortunately, I still can't seem to figure out how the hell to summon myself?" Naruto muttered.

"That is the big question isn't it?"

Naruto glared. "You're not exactly helping here." Sasuke shrugged.

"Well it's not like I can be much help. I've never done this. All I can tell you is to think of the seal as a reference point. It holds your chakra. Think of yourself as lightning and the seal on the kunai as a lightning rod. If you concentrate on that the same way you would concentrate on where you're going when you use shunshin no jutsu, you should be able to transport yourself...at least in theory. I have a feeling if your father was here he'd be able to explain it much better."

"Obviously. Unfortunately, we're on our own here."

"Don't worry, it'll work."

"Yeah...of course it'll work!" Naruto said with much more confidence than he actually felt. He closed his eyes and concentrated. "Well, here goes nothing."

Five minutes went by.

Ten minutes...

Half an hour...

Nothing.

"Dammit!" Naruto growled in frustration.

"Dobe, just calm down and focus."

"Yeah, yeah...focus..." He rolled his eyes. He was about to try again when he thought of something. "Hey teme, I wonder..."

"What?"

Naruto got that mischievous gleam in his eyes and picked up the kunai by it's ring with his finger, then formed his fingers into the tiger seal. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The clearing filled with a hundred Narutos, each holding the same kunai. Exactly what he was hoping for. With a grin he yelled at the group. "You know what to do! Let's see which of you can figure it out first."

"YEAH!" A chorus of yells went out and the many shadow clones tossed their kunai in various directions and started trying to transport themselves.

Sasuke couldn't help but laugh and shake his head at the sight. "Idiot."

He turned away to work on something else he'd seen in the scroll - Raiton Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. He may never be able to create hundreds, but if he could create one or two of them, it could come in handy in a battle.

* * *

The sound of Danzou's voice, then Sasuke's, was heard by the council. Some of them paled at the means the young Uchiha used to torture their fellow council member. Four council members paled even further when the topic of the failed coup was broached. Finally, the sounds of chirping, the sound of a jutsu they knew well, was heard, but it didn't drown out the dying screams of a man who had once been a respected member of the village.

After the recording stopped, an eerie silence filled the room. No one knew what to say. It was Koharu who finally broke the silence, using the only thing she could think of to try to take the heat off of her and her friend.

"Where is that traitorous Uchiha now? We should send out our forces to capture him, or better yet, to kill him for what he did."

"Oh, I don't think the Uchiha is the traitor to be concerned about here." Tsunade replied.

"Of course he is. He's a missing nin who followed in Orochimaru's footsteps. He even attempted to kill his own teammate when he left. And now he has tortured and killed a respected member of this council."

Tsunade slammed her hand down on the table as she stood and glared down the older woman. "Don't you dare bring Naruto into this like you actually cared about him. You had a hand in banishing him for no reason except your own selfishness. As for the Uchiha, it's true, he tortured Danzou, but it's nothing that our own Torture and Investigation squad," she pointed at the two members, Anko and Ibiki, standing behind her, "haven't done before." Having gotten the present anger out of her system, she sat down. "Truthfully the brat probably did us all a favor."

"How dare you speak of him with such ill will! He was a respected member of the council! He should've at least been able to stand trial and defend himself."

"Why? So he could lie under oath? Danzou finally showed us his true colors. The proof is in the recording that he had no idea about. He didn't lie to the Uchiha...he had no reason to. As you heard, not only was he planning another coup, he wanted Sasuke to assist him. Furthermore, he was allied with an enemy of Konoha."

She crossed her arms and glared at the woman. "Don't think I'm ignorant of what you're attempting to do Utatane. I will not allow this council to be manipulated into forgetting the true purpose of this meeting. This has nothing to do with Uchiha Sasuke. His role in all of this will be addressed at another time. Right now, the only thing this council should care about is what Danzou revealed....That you, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Kurayami Toru and Hayashi Saito, have been working with a traitor of Konoha. What do you have to say about that?"

The older woman almost faltered at the accusation, but she still stood her ground. "There is nothing to say. You have no basis for these ridiculous accusations. You cannot rely on the words of a man who was tortured. You know as well as I do, Tsunade, that hearsay is inadmissible as proof." She replied calmly. While she and Homura did not look panicked, the two village members weren't doing a very good job of hiding their emotions.

"You're right. I can't just rely on that man's words."

"There there is nothing more to discuss here."

Tsunade discreetly signaled Ibiki while Koharu was speaking. He walked to the door of the room and opened it. In walked two members of ANBU. After bowing to the hokage, they handed two scrolls to her and disappeared. She opened the scrolls to read them, while the rest of the council waited in tense silence. Eventually, she looked up and rolled the scrolls down the table to the two elderly members of the council. Koharu opened one. Homura opened the other.

The rest of the council witnessed the way the expressions changed as the two elders read the scrolls. Koharu's mouth formed a thin line as she dropped the scroll on the table and let it roll away. Shikaku, who was the nearest, grabbed and opened it to read it for himself. After his eyes widened minutely, he passed it to his teammate, Inoichi, who after reading, passed it on to Chouji. Chouji, being the newest and youngest and not used to the way of Konoha politics, gasped at what he read.

Homura, never one to show much of his emotions, didn't have to read much before his expression turned resigned, and in his dignified manner, carefully placed the scroll back on the table. Tsume snatched it up before it even had a chance to settle and read through it. She was growling menacingly at both the elders before she even finished reading. Hiashi took the scroll from the Inuzuka before she could damage it and took his turn at reading it. Without a shift in expression, he passed it to Aburame Shibi.

"As I'm sure all of you see, the evidence is irrefutable." Tsunade declared to the council as she watched the scrolls move from person to person.

"Only for those two." Hiashi replied. "What about the others in question?"

"Yes, you have no proof we were involved at all!" It was the first time Kurayami had spoken. And Hayashi nodded in agreement.

"That's right. We knew nothing about this!"

Homura cleared his throat and stood. Koharu was about to say something but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "No Koharu. We cannot fight the visible proof that sits right in front of us. We have made our bed..." He stood tall and looked at the group. "I will not apologize for the actions of myself or my teammate. We felt we were justified in our actions. We only wanted what was best for the village. And we believed that Danzou would be the best person to make Konoha the power it once was. As you can see from the scrolls, we backed him in his decisions and promised to aid him in his endeavor to become leader of Konoha. The perfect time came after the Akatsuki's attack on the village. We had hoped to be able to persuade the council to pick him by citing your inability to protect the village properly. But our plan failed. However, his final actions...this coup...was done on his own. Neither Koharu nor I had anything to do with it."

He sighed and took his hand off of Koharu's shoulder and placed it at his side.

"Maybe we were hasty. The two of us have grown old and we've seen so much. Change is never easy for someone as old as myself. However, it seems the younger generation of ninja are proof that change is not always a bad thing. Maybe it's time we retire and have faith in the strength of the children of Konoha to lead us into the future. As for those two," He pointed at the two village representatives, "they must speak for themselves."

The two villagers in question had the nerve to smirk, thinking they were in the clear.

"I wouldn't look so smug if I were you two." Tsunade said with a glare. "I'm sure Ibiki would be happy to find out the truth of things."

The two suddenly looked distinctly uncomfortable. She saw it and turned to Ibiki with a raised eyebrow.

"Ibiki?"

"Wait! You can't do that." Kurayami exclaimed.

The usually warm hazel eyes turned hard and cold. "I can do whatever I like. Contrary to what you might want to believe, I am _still _the Godaime Hokage and I plan to stay that way for at least a little while longer. And as both of you have been implicated by Danzou's words, you are considered under investigation. Ibiki, take those two-"

"Wait!"

"Yes?"

One looked at the other. Then, suddenly, they both stood and started talking over each other.

"Danzou promised us power."

"He said our families would never have to worry about anything as long as we helped him."

"Yes, we never knew he was a traitor."

"He told us that he was doing what was in the best interests of Konoha."

Tsunade smirked inwardly. It turned out to be quite easy to get those two lackeys to talk. "Alright then. Ibiki, Anko, please escort these four outside and wait with them while the rest of us deliberate."

Kurayami and Hayashi followed right behind them. Homura, and by default, Koharu, since she was behind him, stopped and gave a respectful bow to the entire council before adding one last thing. "I will accept whatever punishment you see fit." He walked out afterward. Koharu stared after her longtime friend, teammate and fellow councilman. Finally she sighed and capitulated.

"I will also accept whatever punishment you give." She stated quietly before following Homura into the hall.

The double doors closed behind the two long time council members.

* * *

Sitting on the bed cross-legged in a meditative pose, Madara was the picture of composure. He couldn't keep the slight smile off of his face. There have been some bumps in the road along the way, but his plans were still moving forward. His many years of hard work - having to go underground so he would be believed dead, eventually taking over Hidden Mist and becoming Mizukage, forming Akatsuki - his plans were coming to fruition. Soon...very soon, he would finally attain his goal.

Nothing would stop him...not even Pein with his god complex and his powerful doujutsu. Nothing could defeat his eternal mangekyou sharingan, not even the rinnegan. Besides, while they might have the same objective in wanting the tailed beasts, they had very different goals in mind. Pein wanted peace. He could care less about peace. Peace would be a waste on a world of ninja. He wanted battle, he wanted bloodshed, he wanted to conquer the world one village at a time.

Of course, revenge on Konoha would be a very sweet bonus.

Attaining the bijuu was the key. And while Pein had not gone against him yet, it was sure to happen as soon as the Kyuubi was in their possession. Of course, he had one advantage over the rinnegan user. The nine-tails was the key to all the other bijuu. And the nine-tails used to be his pet. It would submit to the sharingan, just as it had before. Pein could not do the same.

Yes, once he had all the power in his possession, Pein would be the first to die. Maybe he would make him watch his long time partner die first. It would be poetic justice if he watched her die just like that other boy...what was his name again? Yahiko?

With a chuckle, he straightened himself out. He could feel chakra nearing his domain and he knew it belonged to his personal spy.

"Come in Zetsu." he said before the plant could even announce his presence. Madara watched as he materialized through the door. "You have news for me?"

"Yes. It seems the 'poisonous root' has failed." The black half announced.

"Yes, Danzou was captured and imprisoned." The white half elaborated. Madara nodded and walked to a chair, sat in it and crossed his legs.

"Ah. That is unfortunate...but not unexpected." Zetsu was surprised.

"You knew this would happen?"

"Let's just say I'm not surprised. Danzou is much like me in his thinking of how a village should be run. His Root ninja were, and still are, among the best in the village because there is no emotional attachment. There is only the mission. However, the third, fourth, and fifth hokages all believed in a different way. The Sandaime disbanned Root, and because of it Danzou and his ninja have operated underground for years. But he has always been an arrogant sort. He doesn't realize that his time has passed. The thinking of most of Konoha and it's ninja will not change. Him becoming hokage would only result in chaos."

"Then why did you give him assistance?"

"So that if, by some chance, his coup was successful, I would have the leverage to negotiate whatever I wanted. It would have made my job easier. However, whether he was successful or not, the end result would be casualties for both sides." Zetsu nodded as he began to understand.

"You wanted to thin the ranks." The white half stated aloud. Madara smirked.

"Exactly. Pein already inflicted quite a bit of damage. The coup only caused the death toll to rise, even among those of Root. It works out to our advantage."

"So...you're planning to attack soon."

"That's right. I have given Pein one week to find the last jinchuuriki. It has already been two days. As soon as he returns, with or without the jinchuuriki, Akatsuki will prepare to attack Konoha for the last time."

"What about the other three?"

"You mean the brats that were left behind when young Sasuke disappeared? I will give them a choice. Fight with us or die. I doubt they will be a problem."

"Are you sure? The orange haired one seems quite a bit unstable."

"Sasuke was able to keep him under control using his sharingan and killer intent. I'm sure I can use the same tactic successfully."

"The girl doesn't seem to be much use though."

"True. But Sasuke obviously had a reason for bringing her into his team. I will find out why and use it to our advantage. Now leave me. I have plans to make." Zetsu nodded and disappeared through the floor.

Madara tapped his finger against his thigh while he thought. He had planned on Sasuke being at his side. It would've simplified things even further. The boy, while an emotional mess, was very powerful. He hadn't seen such chakra since his own. It was unfortunate that the boy didn't stay. But, it wasn't difficult to tell that there was an emotional attachment that lingered between Sasuke and the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, no matter how much his young relative tried to deny it. He had a feeling that wherever the jinchuuriki was, he would find Sasuke with him.

If that turns out to be the case, and Pein doesn't capture his jinchuuriki, he is sure that when the time comes to attack Konoha, the boys will be there.

And both of them will become his.

* * *

Konan walked through the stone cave-like hallway. She knew where she could find her companion. For some reason he liked to meditate in high places. After much climbing, she finally found him sitting out on a ledge that overlooked all of Amegakure.

"Pein."

He didn't acknowledge her at all, so she assumed he was preoccupied with his thoughts. She walked closer until she was standing right behind him.

"Nagato."

He inclined his head just slightly.

"I was just wondering when we would be leaving?"

"Leaving?"

"To capture the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. It's been two days already. The leader only gave us one week."

"So he did. That does not mean I will bow to his will so easily."

"But, I thought..."

"There is no need to be hasty Konan. The Kyuubi jinchuuriki will appear in it's own time. I will be content to wait." Konan frowned in thought.

"I don't understand...Wait for him to appear? How will we know where..." Her voice faltered and her eyes widened in understanding. "You know where he is, don't you?"

"Yes." Pein replied with a slight smirk.

"Where?"

"Right under our noses." Pein saw the confusion flicker through her eyes and elaborated. "The boy is in Konoha."

"What?! But we were just there and he wasn't."

"True. However, I am sure he is there now."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Konon...do you have so little faith in me? I am a god after all. You see, I left a little something behind in Bird Country. Before going back to the summoning world, it confirmed that the boy showed up there a couple of days after we left. He was with two others, a female Konoha ninja and the young Uchiha. It is only logical that since he knows the Akatsuki are responsible for the attack on that village, and I assume he was told about the attack on Konoha, his next move would be to return to his village and assist them."

"And Uchiha Sasuke was with them? You withheld that information from the leader."

"Yes, I did." Pein stood up and started walking toward the entrance. "He will find out when he attacks Konoha."

Konan turned and, with quick steps, caught up and walked at his side back into the winding catacombs. "What are you planning Nagato?"

"Madara thinks he cannot fail. When Akatsuki begins its attack on Konoha, I will make sure that his pride is his downfall. He will be so consumed with his need for revenge, he will put that first before going after the jinchuuriki. I plan to exploit that to our advantage." Konan nodded in understanding.

"You will take care of the jinchuuriki while Madara is preoccupied."

"Yes. And that is why I will not tell him about the Uchiha. Both are evenly matched. If the boy fights for Konoha, Madara will be pushed to the limit. I really hope the young Uchiha does me a favor and kills the older one."

"And how are we supposed to extract the nine-tails if Akatsuki is defeated? There's no way the two of us can do it alone."

"As long as the nine-tails is in our possession and I have the rings, I can always find others who would be willing to join our cause."

* * *

Tsunade groaned and let her head fall on the desk in her empty office. She was happy for the momentary peace and quiet, for she was very tired. Unfortunately, her day wasn't over yet. She had sent summons to her task force, telling them to meet in an hour.

At least the council mess was over. After the two elders and the two council members admitted their involvement with Danzou, what was left of the council met privately to discuss their fate. It was a long affair...some were all for the death penalty, others wanted imprisonment. The two voices of reason were Shikaku and Shibi. With their logic, the council was finally able to come to an agreement on a decision.

The two village representatives loved having their positions of power. They flaunted it through the village and used their positions to their advantage whenever they could. But that was really the only extent of their power. So, it was decided that to demote them from their positions publicly would be the ultimate humiliation for them. That would be punishment enough.

The fate of the two elders, though, was a more difficult decision to make. There were differences between their motives and Danzou's. Though misguided, their interests were in the right place. They wanted what was best for Konoha. Danzou acted like he wanted the best for the village, but in reality, he just wanted power. So really, the death penalty seemed a bit much in their case. There was also the fact that both are well known and respected individuals throughout the village.

So after much deliberation, it was finally decided the two would be forced to retire publicly - with a brief explanation as to why. The loss of respect and the embarrassment it would cause their respective families would be worse than giving them a quick death or a prison sentence. In lieu of prison, they would be placed under house arrest for the next two years. After that time passed, they would be able to roam around the village, however, they would never be allowed outside of the village again. And they would be watched by ANBU for the rest of their lives.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. "Enter."

Shizune's head peeked through the door. "Tsunade-sama, everyone you summoned is here waiting."

Tsunade raised her eyebrow at that. "Even Kakashi?"

"Yes, even him." Well...that was surprising. It was a sign Kakashi was serious.

"Alright then, send them in. You stay as well Shizune."

"Yes Tsunade-sama." She left and, a few moments later, led in the task force. Her eyes met Sasuke's first and she could see he wanted answers, but it would have to wait. All the seats filled quickly and the rest stood, except for one.

Naruto had the nerve to sit on her desk. "Get off brat."

"But all the seats are gone."

"Off...now." She growled. Naruto turned his head and cringed at the glare she was giving him. The impending wrate of Tsunade was enough to make him jump off and sit cross legged on the floor.

Sasuke chuckled and Naruto glared at him. With a smirk and a shrug, Sasuke turned his attention to the hokage.

Tsunade sighed. "I'm sorry I had to postpone this meeting until the evening, but something important came up. Naruto?"

"Yeah?" He replied from his spot on the floor. Her eyebrow twitched. She was annoyed at not being able to see anything but the blond spikes. "You have what I asked you for?"

"Yep, I do." Naruto pulled out a scroll, unsealed it, then tossed it backward onto her desk. She opened it and looked down the list. She was impressed by the amount of things he found. She was right in picking Naruto for that job. But this meant there was going to be a lot to decode in a short period of time.

"Shikamaru," She tossed the scroll at the head of the lazy shinobi. His eyes were closed, but a moment before the scroll would have smacked him in the head, he shifted his head a couple of inches to the right. The scroll hit the wall before dropping into his lap.

"Troublesome." He mumbled and he opened his eyes to look at the contents of the scroll.

Tsunade mumbled something along the lines of 'damn lazy brat' before continuing. "Take that to your decoders. We'll need to have everything decoded within the next three days."

"You know that's not much time."

"It's all the time you'll have. What's missing a few days of sleep for the sake of Konoha? Now, did you think of a plan."

The shadow nin nodded and tossed her a different scroll. She briefly read through the contents then looked up at him. "You are going to explain this to everyone, aren't you?"

"What a drag. I wrote it down so I wouldn't have to go through the trouble of explaining it."

"Nara..." She growled. He stood up with a sigh.

"Alright fine..." He said aloud, then he mumbled so she wouldn't hear. "I swear you act like my troublesome nagging mother." Suddenly he was dodging a paperweight. Naruto snickered at someone else dealing with her ire.

"Don't think I didn't hear that Nara. Now, explain."

"Yes hokage-sama." The suddenly respectful Shikamaru faced everyone and sighed. "The entire troublesome plan revolves around each Akatsuki member's strengths and weaknesses. From the intel that's been gathered so far, I'm thinking of assigning teams based on perceived weaknesses of each member. So far, this is only a rough draft. I won't be able to finalize assignments until we decode everything Naruto came up with. I'm hoping what we find out will shed some light and give us more to go on than what we have so far. Now,the leader, Uchiha Madara, was the easiest to assign. Obviously the best way of dealing with a sharingan user is with another sharingan user. So Sasuke and Kakashi will be on that team.

Sasuke nodded in agreement. He had been planning to fight Madara anyway.

"Next is Pein who will be a drag to fight against. At first glance, I would say Naruto would be best suited because of his ability to make shadow clones. The down side, of course, is that they are easily disposed of with one hit. Even still, I think he is our best option."

"Makes sense." Tsunade agreed.

"Since each body has different abilities, my plans are to have a team comprised of six including Naruto. One body seems to have the ability to repair and resurrect the other bodies whenever it needs to. In order to have a chance at defeating Pein, we'll have to make sure to dispose of that one first. Then comes the other troublesome ones. There's the mind reader who can pull out a person's soul and seems to be more adept than the rest at hand to hand combat - Long range jutsus might have a better chance at defeating him. Another is the one that has the ability to absorb any technique and nullify it as well as the ability to absorb anyone's chakra. For obvious reasons, I think it would be best to have either Maito Gai or Rock Lee on the team to deal with that body. And then there's the most dangerous one. It can use gravity to push an object away or to pull it close. From what we know so far, there's no real way to stop it. I also plan to assign a team to search for the 'real' Pein. If we can stop him from transmitting to his bodies, stopping him will be easier."

There was a knock at the door and an anbu guard's head poked through. "Excuse me for interrupting Hokage-sama. The Kazekage and a small delegation are here to see you."

"Gaara?!" Naruto yelled with a grin.

Tsunade rubbed her temples with a groan. This day just kept getting better and better. Now she had people showing up without warning. "Tell him I'll be with him shortly."

"Actually, I'd rather stay if you're planning what I think you are." She heard from the doorway. Sand trickled in and slowly formed into the Kazekage. The door opened wider and in walked Temari and Kankuro. Tsunade crossed her arms over her chest.

"I knew I should've sound proofed this room." She muttered. "Well then, since you're here, welcome Kazekage-sama, Temari, Kankuro." All three nodded at her. Gaara saw Naruto grinning and waving at him from the floor and his lips curved into a slight smile. Then he saw the Uchiha leaning against the wall and the turquoise eyes that were so warm a moment ago turned cold. His eyes returned to the Godaime as he spoke.

"Why is _he _here?"

"Ask Naruto." She gestured to the blond head. He stared down at Naruto and waited for an answer.

"Don't worry Gaara, he came with me."

"I don't trust him, you know."

"I know. You don't have to. Because I do."

Gaara sighed in response, but let it go for now. This meeting was more important. He looked back up into hazel eyes. "I hope you weren't planning to go after Akatsuki without some aid."

"You're offering?"

"I am."

"Then I accept." Tsunade smiled. "I guess you'll now be including Suna in your plans Nara."

"Troublesome. Just make my job harder why don't you."

"Just get on with the rest. I'm sure Naruto can brief the Kazekage on what he missed."

"Alright then. Next is Konan, who's ability revolves around using paper. A fire user will definitely have to be on this team. Then there's the unknown one, Zetsu. The only thing we do know is that he can merge with the earth which makes me believe he's an earth type, which means a lightning user should be able to take him. Or maybe since he looks like a plant he might be weakened by fire or possibly certain types of bugs. I think it would be beneficial to have an Aburame on the team. And I guess another fire user. Unfortunately there's only two lightning users and I doubt I can spare either of you."

"Actually, there's three of us." Sasuke interrupted.

"There's another? Who?"

Sasuke tilted his head in Naruto's direction. Everyone stared at him in surprise.

"I thought your elements were wind and water."

"They are. But I can use fire too. And now, I'm working on lightning."

"Since when brat?" Tsunade asked. Even she, who knew Naruto was better than he let on, was in awe. It was nothing compared to the looks of most of the others in the room who didn't know him very well and only remembered Naruto as the boy who was the loud-mouthed dead last at the academy.

"Uh...since today?" He rubbed the back of his head and gave a lopsided grin. "I'm still new at it though. But if I train like I did when I created my jutsu, I should be good at it by the time we head out."

Inoichi wasn't too keen on the idea and voiced it. "I don't know if it's a good-"

"Hey Naruto, how long can one of your shadow clones stick around?" Shikamaru interrupted.

"A better idea might be for me to seal it into a scroll until you're ready to use it." Naruto replied.

"You can do that?!" Shikamaru asked, eyes wide.

"In principle, yes." His father did it after all...even told him how to do it. Of course, he hadn't exactly tried it yet. "Just give me some time to work on it. I'll have it ready."

Shikamaru shook his head in disbelief. "I always knew you were smarter than you let on, but..."

Naruto smirked. Tsunade stopped them before they could get started. "Not right now Nara, you can ask the brat anything you want on your own time. Otherwise, I'd really like to sleep sometime tonight."

"Yeah yeah, fine...Moving on then...the wild card is Kisame. I'm not sure if anyone here can match up with him. His chakra is far beyond that of a normal human. And his sword, which has the ability to suck up chakra like a sponge, makes it difficult to use any kind of jutsu on him or get close to him. Gai was able to defeat a clone of him once before, but only after opening up six of the gates...and the clone only held about a third of his actual power. Truthfully I think he will be the most difficult out of all the Akatsuki to defeat.

"I might actually be able to help there." Sasuke broke in.

"What do you have in mind Uchiha?"

"If I can get Suigetsu to work with us, it would take care of our biggest problem."

"How?"

"Suigetsu holds no loyalties. As long as he has someone to fight he's happy. But his biggest ambition has always been to fight and kill Kisame and take his sword. He only followed me in the first place because I was going after Itachi and he knew it was his chance to find Kisame. Even though I don't think he's strong enough to defeat Kisame alone, he'll be able to divert most of his attention so that we might be able to ambush him some kind of way. If I can get to him in the beginning, I think I can convince him to help us. It's not like he has a reason for fighting Konoha anyway."

"But you're already assigned to Madara."

"Then change it. Madara won't be fighting anyway. Not at the beginning. He'll be waiting...looking to see how the fighting goes before he steps in. That means Kakashi and I can be used elsewhere until he decides to show."

Shikamaru looked at Tsunade with the question in his eyes. She mulled over it for a moment before she nodded. "Alright Uchiha, we'll give it a shot your way."

"Hn."

"What about the other two in your team?" Tsunade asked.

"Karin, she doesn't have any fighting experience, so most likely she won't be fighting at all. If Madara figures out what her ability is, he might use her to track our chakra signatures. That's all she's really good for. But, I doubt you'll have to worry about her anyway. The moment she sees me, she'll come running." _'Annoying.'_ he thought with a grimace. He saw Naruto smirk out of the corner of his eye, but ignored him. "The problem, as I said yesterday, will be Juugo. Truthfully, out of the three, he's probably the closest to being loyal. Unfortunately, that gets thrown out the window when he goes into a rage. He won't know ally from enemy...it'll just be about the need to kill. I can calm him down using my sharingan and a whole lot of killer intent. Most likely, Madara will figure out he has the ability to do the same. But I don't think that will be his objective."

"But can you get him to join us?" Shikamaru asked.

"I can as long as he's sane. If he's raging, it will be much harder. The advantage for us is that he wants to be cured. He hates the raging side of himself. And since we have the legendary medic nin right here in Konoha, if she promises to try to help him, I think he would gladly help us."

Tsunade folded her hands and propped up her chin with them, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I would need to know more about him. And I'd need bloodwork. And time. A lot of time." She turned her head and looked at Sasuke. "But I can certainly try."

"Then hopefully, we'll have another ally." Sasuke replied.

"What a drag. Now I'll have to rearrange all of my plans." Shikamaru grumbled. Inoichi clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't whine. You'll have it done in no time."

"Che...whatever."

"Well, this seems like a good place to end this meeting. Nara, I expect a report on the decoding once a day and final plans in three days. We will meet once more for final assignments then. It will give everyone one last day to prepare before leaving. Shizune, prepare the rooms for the Kazekage and his companions. That is all. Dismissed."

The room quickly cleared. Tsunade groaned and let her head hit the desk. A thump on the desk had her head right back up again. In front of her was the elixir of life, thank Kami! She heard a distinct snicker and shook her head.

"Get off the floor brat."

"You're being pretty mean to someone who just brought you a gift of badly needed sake."

"I'll thank you after I drink it. So...I didn't want to ask in front of everyone...how close are you to figuring out that jutsu?"

Naruto looked innocent. "What jutsu?"

"Don't you 'what jutsu' me brat. If you're working on your father's raiton jutsus, then you're obviously working on _it_ as well. So?"

Naruto grinned, then turned and walked toward the double doors and opened them.

"With the teme's help, close enough."

The doors closed. Tsunade smiled and held up her bottle in a salute to the picture of the young blond hokage.

"Minato, wherever you are, I hope you're proud."

--

--

_Edited 03/22/2010_

**Kurayami and Hayashi** - Names made up by me for the purpose of this chapter.

**Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** - Multiple shadow clone technique

**Raiton Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** - Lightning element shadow clone technique

**a/n:** Holy crap! Over 10,000 words in this chapter! (dies) I didn't plan it to get this long. And I refuse to split this chapter up because my plans for the next chapter involve a 5 day timeskip. This one was quite a bit wordy, but I hope it was to your liking. It lays the groundwork for the battle that will begin soon and all the plans on each side. Ahh...I just love the little things going on between Madara and Pein. :D

Also, thank you for the many reviews! I love you all and you're my inspiration for finishing this story. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to finish in three, at the most, four more chapters.


	28. The Dreaded Author's Note

I know everyone is seeing this and going "oh no, not the dreaded AN!" I hate when I see these things so I know you do too. I never thought I'd have to put one of these up, but stuff happens sometimes. So before I get started, all I can say is I'm so sorry for what I'm about to do. Really, I am.

Without getting way too descriptive of my personal life I'll just say that if any of you have been keeping up with my profile, you know work and my mom being in the hospital have kept me from being able to finish writing any chapters lately. Well, I guess when it rains it pours because I just found out a couple of days ago that my mother will need to have major surgery on Friday. She's already weak and has a bad heart and that's just going to make the surgery even harder. So right now I'm a mess. My mother is my best friend and it just about kills me to think about what could happen if anything goes wrong. I don't know what I'd do without her. Even after the surgery, she'll have to spend the next month in the hospital going through rehab and me, my dad and a couple of other family members are going to have to split time so there can always be someone staying with her.

The last time I attempted to do anything writing-wise was last weekend and I think I only got a couple of paragraphs done. And now I'm too stressed out and emotionally wrecked to even think about writing anything. And I really don't know how soon I'll have a chance to write again. I'm stopping short of saying I'm on hiatus because you may see some Dobe and Teme Chronicles here and there because one shots and drabbles are easier for me to write. And I'm sure there will be some times when I'm in the hospital with nothing to keep me company but my blackberry and I have been known to type on it when I need to so I might write some of my chapters on my phone.

Again, I apologize to all my faithful readers. I hope you all are willing to be patient a bit longer. I'll do my best to make it worth the wait.

- Twisted Vixen


	29. The Best Laid Plans Part 1

**a/n: **I bet you're surprised to see this. I really hadn't planned on working on the chapter, but somehow even under all this stress the urge hit me and within the next couple of days I had it done. Go me! Thank you for your reviews, as well as your well wishes for my family. I wish I had the time to answer each one of you personally, but I won't even delude myself into thinking the time will appear out of nowhere. But your thoughts, no matter what they are, are always appreciated. I put an update in my profile if you're interested in reading how things are going. Now then, I hope you'll enjoy the chapter. Lol, after all this writing, I still didn't get to the action yet. Definitely next chapter....Promise. This is only part 1. I'm thinking it will end up being three parts. We'll see...

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

**Warning: **Spoilers for future manga chapters. I hope you're keeping up. Seriously, this chapter contains all kinds of spoilers for recent manga chapters.

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 27 - The Best Laid Plans, Pt 1  
**

* * *

**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_**  
Speaking:** "blah blah"

xxx

**Two days later**

Madara sat in his chamber nursing a glass of sake while he flipped through his journal. It spanned years and years of his life...before Akatsuki, before the Kyuubi attack on Konoha, before his supposed death, before he'd taken his brother's eyes and left him blind, before his turbulent relationship with Hashirama, before he agreed to an alliance...all the way back to the beginning of his life. Back when he wasn't sharing the title of genius with his brother, before they both became the twin warriors that made the Uchiha clan almost invincible. Back when he was just a foolish child, more concerned with playing with his brother than dealing with war and politics. He was so naive back then.

The naivete eventually wore off and gave way to wisdom and experience. He had learned over the years to be shrewd, calculating. He patiently bided his time. And now that patience was finally about to pay off. He would get the Kyuubi back. And he would use Sasuke to complete the final phase of his plan before casting him aside. The moon's eye plan would finally come to fruition. And as a bonus, he would destroy Konoha. He hated that village and everything it stood for. It was the source of his failures, so it deserved to be destroyed first.

He would become the ultimate jinchuuriki. He would have all the power to control the world. Maybe he would even consider eventually restarting the clan. This time they would be made in his image...stronger and wiser. The name of Uchiha would live on forever.

He drained the last of his glass and put it aside as he felt the grass nin's chakra coming closer. His eyes narrowed at the split personality that came through his door.

"I thought I told you to stay close to Konoha."

"Yes, I know. But something important came up."

"What could be so important?"

"Danzou is dead."

Madara was visibly surprised. "What?! Konoha would never execute someone so quickly." The village was too soft for that.

"They didn't. It seems the Uchiha brat got to him first."

Madara raised a brow. "Really? Well, no matter. He had outlived his usefulness anyway." Then he chuckled. "I said once that where the jinchuuriki is, Sasuke will follow. I'm positive the same thing applies the other way around." He stood with a triumphant smirk. "Leave me. I have plans to finalize."

The plant man nodded and disappeared.

Madara chuckled madly.

Yes, soon...very soon.

xxx

Pein and Konan were moving closer to one of their abandoned bases when the mental summons came.

"It seems that man's patience has worn thin." Pein sounded slightly irritated at the summons. Konan sighed.

"He gave us a week. It's only been 4 days. Something must have happened."

The two disappeared. They reappeared in the base closest to Fire Country, where they found Madara leisurely sitting in a stone chair waiting for them. He didn't bother with a mask to hide his face from the two of them. So the two companions couldn't miss the arrogant look the man bestowed upon them. Fingers caressed the stone while he leisurely stretched his legs out and crossed them. Finally, he spoke.

"You two have failed me once again." Konan raised a brow and spoke for the two of them.

"It has only been four days."

"And yet I found what you were supposed to be looking for without leaving this base. So much for being a god. Maybe you should pass that title to me." Madara replied with a smug smirk as he spread his arms wide.

Pein only stared at him blankly. The oldest living Uchiha shook his head and sighed. It still kind of irked him that he could never get a rise out of the other man. Maybe if he spoke to the source...well, that would be later when everything was in the palm of his hand. For now though... "We leave at first light."

"Where?" Pein asked.

"To get my jinchuuriki, of course."

xxx

Konan moved swiftly through the trees not far from the base. She knew her destination was nearby, she could feel the comforting chakra pulsing through her. She stopped in front of a large tree and placed her hand upon the base and felt her own chakra flowing through the tree. The material under her palm shifted at will and, within seconds, an entrance unfolded from the paper. She stepped through it and paper filled the gap once again. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light. The shockingly bright red hair of her only friend was the most visible thing and she walked toward it.

"Nagato?"

"Why are you here Konan? You should be resting."

She came to a stop just in front of the man she had followed faithfully for years. His emaciated state still made her cringe. She hated seeing him like that, but she never said a word. It was just one of the many sacrifices they made to attain their goal. He would do whatever it took. And she would help him.

"I couldn't sleep." She took a moment to create a chair from her gift of origami and sat on it. He watched her at the task and, once she was done, he looked in her eyes. Only here could she reveal her true emotions and he saw more than one floating through the depths...sorrow, anger, anxiety.

"You are worried."

"Yes. That man's arrogance grows more every day."

"And that arrogance will be his downfall. He believes no one can stop him. The more arrogant he becomes, the more likely he is to make a mistake and underestimate his enemies."

"Or companions, as the case may be..."

"Exactly. And that is when we will strike. He will fall and I will attain the power that will bring peace to the world. Then you and I will finally be free."

"Freedom...is there really such a thing?" She wondered, even after attaining their goal, would they truly be free? Or would they just be pawns in the hands of a greater god than Pein.

"We'll find out together."

* * *

**The next day**

It was just past dawn and Madara was already awake and walking with purposeful strides toward a room at the back of the base. Without knocking, he slammed the door open, causing the occupants of said room to jump up from their sleep.

"What the hell?!" The red-head yelled as she grabbed her glasses so she could see.

"Shut up woman, you're giving me a headache with your screeching voice." With a yawn and stretch, Suigetsu sat up and leaned back against the wall and watched the man who had awakened them. His fingertips brushed against the hilt of his sword...just in case.

The Akatsuki leader surveyed the three extra players until his eyes finally settled on the sandy orange haired young man. He held up a hand and beckoned him forward. "You. Come with me."

Getting a better grip on his sword, Suigetsu glared at the other man. "His name is Juugo. And he isn't going anywhere with you."

"And who's going to stop me? You? Don't insult me boy. No experiment of that snake will be able to lay a hand on me. I'll kill you before you get near me." Madara replied with amusement and just a hint of malice. Then his voice softened as he turned back to the one he now knew as Juugo. "Juugo. Come with me. We are leaving." The quiet young man glanced at his two companions and shook his head slightly before he stood and walked over to the waiting Akatsuki leader.

Suigetsu watched his teammate cross the room and gripped the hilt just a bit harder as his anger grew. He was helpless and he hated it.

"Wait! Where are you going with him?" Karin asked with a glare.

"Such impertinence from one so young. But I guess it's to be expected considering the company you keep. Let me make it quite clear to you girl...you are here out of the kindness of my heart. I don't have to tell you anything. However, because I'm in _such_ a good mood, I'm willing to share. You see, I'm going hunting. I plan to catch myself a fox. Maybe even a raven, as well. And possible destroy a village or two along the way." The explanation only confused her.

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about? And what do you need Juugo for?"

"Ah ah ah...I agreed to throw you a bone out of the kindness of my heart. No more questions."

"But-"

Suigetsu shrugged and moved to lie back down on his cot. He understood exactly what the man was getting at and he didn't like it. He hated knowing there was nothing he could do. But he did believe in self-preservation. Of course, if Karin wanted to be an idiot and dig her own grave by continuing to ask stupid questions, so be it. It wasn't his life on the line.

"You two will be staying here to guard the base. Don't disappoint me." After those words, Madara took Juugo and left.

"ARGH! So we're supposed to just sit around and wait? What are we? Chopped liver?!" Karin screamed down the darkened hallway after them.

"Shut up bitch. You're giving me a headache." Suigetsu growled.

"You shut up! How dare he take Juugo away and leave us here."

"Jeez, you're so annoying. And stupid. You don't even get what he was saying, do you?"

"Who are you calling stupid, you moron?!" Then she blinked and looked confused for a moment. "Wait...Get what?"

"Kami woman! Did you listen to anything he just said? Obviously they're going after the fox brat and Sasuke."

"Sasuke-kun?!" Karin immediately perked up.

The mist nin rolled his eyes. "You're such a fan girl. Quit gushing and pay attention! Everyone in the base is going off to fight but us. He thinks we're useless. Either that or he thinks we'll help Sasuke."

"But he took Juugo? He'd follow Sasuke anywhere."

"Unless he gets him to lose control."

The wheels started turning in Karin's head and her eyes grew wider as she made the connections. Kami help anyone in the way of an out of control Juugo.

"He wants him out of control..."

Suigetsu looked to the ceiling like he was looking toward the heavens and heaved of sarcastic sigh of relief. "Finally, the woman acts like she has a brain!"

The woman growled and cracked her knuckles. "You watery bastard! I'm going to kill you!"

xxx

Just outside the base, Madara stood, maskless, with the rest of Akatsuki. He had no reason to hide behind one anymore. He wanted the world to know who had conquered them all. Juugo stood just beside him silently. Behind him stood Konan and all six Peins, as well as Kisame and Zetsu.

Madara took a deep breath of fresh air and looked up at the sky for a moment while the whipped around them all. Then his face slid into an expression that he reserved for battle. It was a persona he hadn't needed to use for many many years. Without turning to face his followers, he spoke.

"We will take a not so common route and reach Konoha in two days. Stops will be minimal. When I give the word we will attack. I don't care what you do to Konoha and it's inhabitants...I only want the jinchuuriki and Sasuke left alive."

After those final words, he sped off. The others followed.

* * *

It was an uncommon occurrence to see the council room used for anyone other than the council. But on this day, it was occupied by the hokage and the room was full of summoned ninja. Most of the task force was in attendance, save two that Tsunade was making plans to hurt for being late. The rest were other jounin and anbu.

For the past three days, Shikamaru made a well worn path between home and the decoding office. The decoders hardly slept, knowing that the time was limited. Once the pattern was finally understood, decoding went quickly. Miraculously, they made it through all of Jiraiya's codes and found out everything about Akatsuki, including their hideouts. Shikamaru then started making plans, only to revise them, and revise them again, until they were as foolproof as he could get them. It was a troublesome task. Of course, he knew nothing was absolutely fullproof...they could only go by the information they had. But he hoped that his plans accounted for any and all complications. After presenting it to the hokage for her approval, the meeting was set.

There was nothing left to do but make the assignments and prepare to leave. And pray that they were successful. He didn't want to think about the consequences if they weren't.

Tsunade raised her hand for attention and the talking ebbed to silence.

"As I'm sure you can tell, this meeting is of the utmost importance. Standing here with me is the Akatsuki task force. It was created so that we could analyze everything we knew about the organization and plan how to deal with them. So far the Akatsuki have destroyed villages and killed innocent people throughout the ninja nations and even beyond. All in order to obtain the tailed beasts. They have succeeded in obtaining all but one and they will stop at nothing to get it. If they attain that one, it would be signing the entire world's death warrant. The leader of Akatsuki is only interested in two things, revenge against Konoha and world domination. I will not allow either one."

The door swung open with a loud bang and in came the two tardy ninja. Tsunade glared at the interruption.

"You're late." she growled.

"Yeah..." Naruto raised a hand to his head. "Sorry, had to take care of something."

Whispers went through the crowd as those who didn't already know about them saw the two familiar faces for the first time - one of them supposedly a traitor and the other supposedly banished from the village. The hokage rolled her eyes. It was just like those two to make a noticeable entrance.

"Whatever, just get over here." The two took their place with the other task force members and ignored the whispers around them. "The reason you are here is simple. The task force has put together a plan to annihilate the entire organization. Instead of waiting for them to show up again, it's about time we went on the offensive and crushed the threat to our existence. Every single one of you will be needed in one way or another to accomplish this successfully. The kazekage has agreed to send some of his ninja here to assist us. Shikamaru was placed in charge of putting a team together with the sole mission of destroying Akatsuki. I expect that all of you are professional enough to put personal feelings aside and get along with your teammates..." She paused and slowly looked around the room, her hazel eyes hard as flint. "No matter who they might be."

Multiple pairs of eyes looked at the last Uchiha. There was clear animosity in some of those gazes. But no one dared to voice their opinions with the hokage looking as dangerous as she was at that moment. Finally the blonde relaxed her gaze and nodded to the group.

"Alright then. Where is Sai?" The least emotional member of Team Kakashi raised his hand from somewhere in the back of the room.

"I want you to head Root's forces here in Konoha. They need a replacement leader and right now you're the only one I trust in their ranks to do so. Root's forces, along with those of the anbu, will be the first line of defense should Akatsuki somehow make it to Konoha."

"I understand Hokage-sama." He said softly.

"Team Kakashi, Team Gai, Team Asuma, Genma, Shino, and the Suna team: You will all form a team dispatched to the Akatsuki hideout. Inoichi, Shikaku, Tsume, Kiba, Hana, and Shibi: Your mission is to follow the team and then find the source of Pein's communication with his clones. Everyone else here that I haven't mentioned will be joining the anbu and root forces in defending Konoha. Now, everyone except the Akatsuki teams are dismissed."

Once everyone filed out and the door closed, Tsunade went on. "Shikamaru, I turn things over to you. Please outline your plan for everyone."

The young man had his eyes closed and was leaning against the wall. Ino smacked him in the head. "Wake up!"

Shikamaru gave her a half-hearted glare as he rubbed the back of his head. "Troublesome woman! What was that for?"

"Thank you Ino. Shikamaru, now that you have joined the rest of us, would you mind outlining your plan?" Tsunade asked with a dangerous twitch of her eye. He sighed and grumbled as he opened a scroll on the hokage's desk. The others gathered around to see.

"This is a map of the five great shinobi nations. According to our intelligence, these red circles indicate where the Akatsuki bases are hidden. However, we are not sure which one they are holed up in. Troublesome."

"I know which one. At least, I will in a moment." Sasuke spoke up.

All eyes turned to the raven haired shinobi. Before anyone could questions him, he flashed through hand signs for a summons. Once the smoke cleared, they were able to see a small snake slithering up Sasuke's arm. It wasn't much bigger than the typical garden snake.

"What do you need of me SSSasssuke-sssama?"

"You are still keeping track of my team. Correct?"

"Yesss. It wasss easy. They've been in the sssame room for weeksss."

"Where?"

"Right outssside of Fire Country." Tsunade's eyes went wide.

"Where? Here?" She pointed at the place that the decoding team had indicated was one of the bases.

The little snake glared at the woman before shifting its head in a haughty sort of gesture, it's way of refusing to answer.

"Zouhyou, answer her before I squash you." Sasuke warned the little snake with a spike of killer intent, just to scare it into submission. With a glare at his summoner, the snake spoke.

"Yesss." She frowned. It was quite disconcerting to find out that your worst enemies were so close to Konoha. Even though she already figured there might be a base that close, she never really thought they would be bold enough to use that one right after the last attack.

"Hmm..." Her fingers tapped against the wood as she thought.

"Wait." Tsunade's fingers paused in their rhythmic tapping to look up at the Kazekage. Gaara wasn't looking at her though. His attention was on Sasuke and the teal eyes were hard and calculating. "Naruto may trust you, and by extension the hokage, but I don't. You could be secretly planning to send us all to our deaths. And I refuse to risk my own people's safety. So, tell me Uchiha, why should I trust you?"

The eyes that had been on the Kazekage all shifted to Sasuke. It was a fair question. One that, whether they admitted it or not, had been on their minds ever since they saw him.

Sasuke could feel the weight of everyone's stare. Naruto felt the tension his best friend was trying not to show and he felt the urge to take his hand and squeeze it in support. Instead, he mentally prodded him. _'Do you want me to...?'_

Sasuke glanced at the blond and answered him. _'No...I suppose they have a right not to trust me. And there's nothing you can do about it.'_ He then spoke aloud. "I know most of you don't trust me and I don't blame you. There isn't much I can say to change your minds. I can only tell you that my goal is still the same...to avenge my clan. Madara and my brother were both responsible for their deaths." He cringed inwardly at the mention of his brother. He didn't really want to put him in the same category as Madara anymore, but he had to in order to get his point across. Sure, revenge wasn't his only goal anymore, but he hoped the words would suffice for the kazekage and the rest.

"So you want to kill Madara?" Gaara crossed his arms and glared. "I've seen what happens when you get caught up in your revenge, Uchiha. You forget about anything and anyone else around you, damn the consequences. None of us are here to be part of your petty vengeance. So, if that's your only reason for being here, I won't work with you."

Naruto sent a pleading look toward Tsunade. She shrugged in response. She could completely understand their apprehension. Sasuke would have to be the one to alleviate it. Besides, if it got them all to work together, she wasn't about to interfere.

Sasuke glared at the kazekage. "That is not my only reason. But I don't have to explain everything to you."

"If Konoha wants my help, you'll have to." Gaara retorted.

Before Sasuke could reply, Naruto placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "He's here for me, alright? I promised to help him. He promised to help me. We both want the Akatsuki gone for various reasons. He won't betray us."

"I don't need you to answer for me dobe."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well, you're doing such a great job of gaining their trust. I'm just trying to speed things up. It's not like time is on our side here." Sasuke scoffed.

"You're not helping."

"Teme..." Naruto growled and then spoke in his head. _'Quit stalling and just tell them the truth so we can get this over with.'_ Sasuke glared at the blond. Naruto glared back. After a sigh, Sasuke rolled his eyes and relaxed his tense shoulders.

"Fine." He said aloud. Then he stared Gaara in the eye, even though the words he was about to say were directed at the entire room. "The truth is I could care less about this village and most of the people in it. The politics here killed my family and most of the village treats Naruto like shit. But I do care about him and I'll protect him and and anything he cares about. Any other reasons beyond that are my own and don't concern you. If you still can't trust me, then so be it."

There was silence as the kazekage and the Uchiha stared each other down. Finally Gaara relented and gave Sasuke a nod. The tension in the room ebbed away. If the Gaara was willing to trust him, considering their bad history, then they would do so, as well. To protect Naruto meant to protect Konoha, for that was what Naruto always stood for. It was enough for them to trust him, even if they didn't like him.

The hokage broke the silence to get back on track. "Shikamaru...The plan?"

"Yeah yeah....The plan really involves matching up everyone's strengths with each Akatsuki member's weakness. Most of you have some kind of specialized skill, whether it be a kekkei genkai, or something else. I just put together teams of two or three based on who would have the best success against each member. I also made notes for each group that reveals the members strengths and weakness along with the most logical ways to defeat them. The teams can then get together and come up with strategy before we leave. There is also the possibility that the teammates Sasuke left behind might be willing to help. However, we can't count on that to happen. Sasuke, obviously, you know the most about Madara so I leave him to you. I am also putting Kakashi with you because he has the sharingan."

Sasuke and Kakashi glanced at each other and the elder gave the younger a nod. They both had already assumed they would be working together.

"I really don't think anyone else would have much of a chance of battling equally against him, except maybe Naruto, but he'll already be preoccupied. Tenzou will back the two of you up. Naruto and the kazekage will take on Pein. I know it's a huge job, but Naruto is the only one that can create multiple clones and has enough chakra to take him on. And the kazekage will be able to use his sand as an offense and defense. Hopefully, it won't take long for the other team to cut the chakra feed to the paths. That would make the job easier."

"Fine with me." Naruto grinned at Gaara who gave him a slight smile in return.

"Team Gai took on Kisame once before. I think it's the best chance we have again, barring Sasuke's ace in the hole. If it works out, you'll have a swordsman almost as dangerous as Kisame on your side."

"What about me and Shino? We're the only guys with no team here." The timely voice of Genma stopped Gai and Lee before they could start going on about youth - much to everyone's relief. Shikamaru smirked slightly, silently thanking the man who casually leaned against the back wall.

"You two will be with our team. We'll be fighting Zetsu. Your expertise at using senbon will come in handy. Sakura and Ino already have the poisons ready that we hope will work against him. As for Temari, Kankuro and Sakura, you three will take on Konan."

"Why do I have to be with the girls?" Kankuro whined.

"Because you're too irresponsible to leave alone." Temari replied with a smirk.

"HEY!"

"Moving on..." Shikamaru interjected before the siblings could start arguing. "As for the team that will be looking for Pein's transmission source, the only thing I can tell you is to look for the highest point in the vicinity of the hideout. That is probably where the source will be. We know absolutely nothing about the man behind the paths, beyond what Jiraiya said. He is obviously the real Pein, whoever that is. He's obviously powerful if he can transmit so much chakra, so you'll have to come up with some kind of contingency plan to deal with that. If you find yourself in need of backup, send word to one of us. Hopefully, we'll be able to spare a couple of people by then." He sighed. It was a drag to have to speak so much. He really could use some water. With a shrug, he reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. "I suppose that's all."

"Alright then." Tsunade took over. "There's nothing much left to say but that you will leave tomorrow at first light. You're all dismissed to go over strategies with your team." The room slowly emptied. "Uchiha."

Sasuke stopped and looked back. Naruto stopped as well and waited.

"Don't think that just because you've been reinstated I've forgotten the past. Your punishment is only being delayed. Understand?"

"Hn." Sasuke nodded

"And don't even think of running off again. This time, Naruto or not, I'll have every anbu and hunter nin in my possession hunt you down." Once he was out the door, her glare disappeared and she smiled fondly in Naruto's direction. "And you take care of yourself brat."

Naruto grinned. "Sure thing baa-chan." Then he hurried and closed the door as a projectile flew his way. He heard it slam into the door and her yell could be heard through the wood.

"Don't call me that you brat!"

* * *

The duo went their separate ways once they left the tower. Sasuke and Kakashi disappeared to talk. Naruto was never one to strategize and neither was Gaara, so they decided not to bother. Both had already heard everything they needed to about the paths of Pein and there was nothing left for them to do but battle him. No meeting or strategy would change that. So, they went their separate ways. Naruto ended up wandering around the village and just taking in the sights. He still hadn't gotten used to being home yet. He'd been too busy with the task force and training to look around. Eventually he found himself in front of the academy. With a grin, he went inside and walked through the halls toward the familiar classroom where he began his ninja career. Once he reached the room he poked his head inside. His old sensei was focused on the pile of papers in front of him and the class was looking restless. Naruto could understand...it was almost lunch time. He grinned. Maybe he should do the kids a favor.

"Hey Iruka-sensei!" Naruto yelled. Iruka turned his head at the familiar yell and grinned.

"Naruto!" The blond walked through the door and up to his teacher. It still amazed him that he had finally grown slightly taller than the man. The moment Naruto was close enough, Iruka ruffled the blond locks, making him grimace, slightly embarrassed at the action with so many children watching.

"Hey! I'm not 12 anymore, you know." he groused.

"Well, forgive an old teacher. I still remember you as the little troublemaking prankster I used to have to chase down." There were some giggles and snickers from some of the students. Iruka turned his attention to them. "You're all dismissed for lunch. I expect you back in one hour." A cheer went through the youngsters and they stampeded out the door. "So, Naruto, how are you enjoying being back?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's ok, I guess. I haven't really had much time to enjoy it." Suddenly a large growling noise was heard. Iruka laughed as Naruto blushed and patted his empty stomach.

"Hungry?"

"How could you tell?"

"How about some ramen then? My treat."

"Well then, how could I refuse." Naruto laughed. He'd missed Iruka-sensei. Before long, they reached Ichiraku's and placed their orders.

"So, how have you been? It's been so long since I've seen you." Naruto looked at his father-figure strangely.

"You just saw me the other day at the party."

"I know, but I had to share you with twenty other people. I didn't have much of a chance to catch up with you."

"Well I guess I've been good...well, besides the whole Akatsuki thing. But that's soon to be taken care of."

"I worried about you, you know. I would wait impatiently for letters you would send to the hokage because I knew that, as long as the letters kept coming, you were still safe somewhere. I was always afraid the letters would one day stop coming. Or one day I'd find out that you had been captured or killed. So, I'm glad you're home safe."

"Me too."

"And you even have yourself a student."

"Yep. Aya's pretty talented. She has a lot of potential. It's kind of funny, she reminds me of myself sometimes. Actually, that reminds me, I'm leaving on a mission tomorrow."

"But you just got back!"

"Yeah, but it's about time we really deal with Akatsuki before they destroy everything."

"But how? Just one of them did so much damage to Konoha. I can't imagine dealing with all of them at once."

"Are you kidding? We've got Shikamaru. And you know he's a genius at strategy. And the assigned teams are the best in Konoha. Everything will be fine."

"Even someone as smart as Shikamaru can't account for everything, you know. Just be careful."

"Don't worry Iruka-sensei. I'm not the same reckless kid I used to be. I'll be careful." Their ramen came and both dug in heartily. Both only had one bowl, which shocked the owner, who wasn't quite used to this new Naruto. "I brought that up, though, because I need a favor."

"You know you can ask me anything Naruto."

"Well, as you know, Sasuke's staying with me for now. And Aya lives with me too. But we're both going on the mission and I don't want to leave her alone...at least not right now, so soon after what happened in Bird Country. So-

"You want to know if I can take her in until you get back? Of course."

"Thanks Iruka-sensei! She'll be no trouble at all. Promise. And she can take care of herself."

"Oh, I'm sure she'll be no trouble...at least not as much as you were." Iruka chuckled as Naruto glared. "I still have that spare bedroom I used to keep for you. I'll fix it up for her. She can come to the academy with me in the mornings. I'm sure there's some basics I doubt you bothered covering."

"Hey! I almost feel insulted. I'll have you know I taught her properly." Iruka laughed again and stood up. Naruto followed him.

"I'm sure. But if she's anything like you, I bet you taught her lots of jutsus to keep her happy and skipped the basics - the science behind chakra, using it properly, history of the ninja villages and so forth. You know...the part of the class you either skipped or slept through."

"It was boring."

"Are you saying I was boring?" Iruka asked with a raised brow and a dangerous glare in his eye. Naruto's eyes went wide and he waved his hands in front of him.

"No, no! I would never say your class was boring. You were the best sensei ever!"

"Uh huh. Of course I am. Anyway, maybe she can be my assistant when I need to train the other students."

"I'm sure she won't mind that. But she probably won't be with you all the time. She'll be training with baa-chan in medical jutsu when she's available."

"Well, either way, she'll be training. Don't mention it to her, but if she's as good as you say, I may just give her the exam myself if hokage-sama doesn't mind. Then at least she can be placed with a team of genin and possibly take the chuunin exams when it comes up again."

"Cool. She'd love that." They stopped at the road that led to his apartment. Naruto smiled and hugged the older man. "Thanks a lot Iruka-sensei. It means a lot to me. We leave at first light, so I'll drop her off right before we leave."

"Alright."

"I better go. I have to pack and all."

"Take care Naruto."

"Yep." He grinned and waved as he walked away.

xxx

Sasuke closed the door behind him and dropped the bag he was carrying. It was full of weapons, sutras, soldier pills...anything that he could think of that he and Naruto would need for the mission. He had a feeling the idiot wouldn't think about those things and got enough for both of them.

The smell of lunch had him walking toward the small kitchen where he found Aya.

"Hey. It's about time you showed up. I figured you two would be hungry. Wait, where's Naruto?" She asked as she handed him a plate of stir fry. Sasuke nodded in thanks and took a seat at the table.

"He's probably on his way back. Naruto and I, we have a mission tomorrow." Aya's eye's widened.

"How long?"

"I don't know."

"But what about me? What am I supposed to do while you're gone?"

"Train."

"Well yeah, obviously." She replied as she rolled her eyes. She already knew that. "But I can't stay here by myself."

"We both lived on our own since we were much younger than you. You'll be fine."

"Yeah but-"

"She won't have to." Naruto yelled from the doorway. He closed the door behind him and sat down next to Sasuke. Aya put a similar plate of food in front of him. "Thanks Aya."

"What do you mean she won't have to?" Sasuke asked.

"Iruka-sensei said she could stay with him. He's still got that extra room I used to sleep in." Naruto replied between bites. One would think he didn't just eat. He looked up and noticed Aya seemed a bit worried at the prospect of staying with someone she hardly knew and tried to placate her. "Don't worry, he even said you could help him train his class at the academy when you're not training with baa-chan."

"But...but what if something happens to you?" She looked down so her hair hid her face. "What if you don't come back?" She asked quietly, then bit her lip to keep it from trembling. Naruto shifted to her side and gave her a one armed hug.

"It won't happen. Even if I have to crawl back, bleeding on my hands and knees, I won't leave you alone." Aya's liquid eyes looked over at Sasuke. He nodded, his eyes intensely serious.

"Neither will I." He said with conviction.

* * *

Just before dawn, a group of three - one of them still half asleep - walked down a dirt path that led to a small house. A lamp from inside sent a comforting glow through the window and beckoned them toward it.

"Now, Aya, just make sure you stay out of trouble. Don't get on Iruka's bad side. He may look nice, but he can be scary when he wants to be."

"That was years ago dobe."

"Still!"

"Hn."

"Oh, and don't get on baa-chan's bad side either. It's dangerous." Naruto continued to advise, though Aya hardly paid any attention in her sleepy state. Too soon they reached the door and Naruto knocked.

Iruka could hear Naruto and Sasuke arguing as he got closer to the door and chuckled. It seems things hadn't changed much over the years with those two. He opened the door, but the males were too busy bantering to notice.

"For you maybe."

"Shut up teme."

Sasuke shrugged. "It's true."

"Whatever bastard. Oh, and last thing Aya, don't forget to keep up with your training."

"Hn. For once I agree with the idiot. No slacking off."

"Jerk."

"Usuratonkachi."

"Ahem!" Iruka interrupted. Both of them turned, surprised at the interruption.

Aya rolled her sleepy eyes. "Yes otousan and otousan." she mumbled. All three males looked down at her with expressions varying from humor to horror. "What?" She asked with a yawn. "You sound like my parents for kami's sake. Stop it."

Iruka snickered. Both males looked up and glared at him. Of course, it didn't have any effect on the teacher who just grinned back.

"Whatever." Sasuke decided to ignore it. They didn't have much time. "Thank you for allowing her to stay with you while we're gone."

"Oh, it's my pleasure." Iruka replied. He grabbed Aya's bag and pulled it inside, allowing her some time to say her goodbyes.

Aya wrapped her arms around both of her guardians. "Promise me you'll come back. I don't want to be alone again."

Naruto smiled at her. "I promise. And I never break a promise." He glanced at Sasuke as he said this and the raven couldn't help but smile back just slightly. He then held back a grimace. He didn't like making promises he wasn't sure could be kept. No one ever knew how things would go in battle. What might seem to be a well coordinated attack could easily turn to chaos. But how could he refuse her?

"I promise as well."

After getting her promises she let them both go and stood next to Iruka. He reached out and ruffled each head, making them both grimace for being treated like kids.

"You boys be careful. Don't do anything rash." Iruka admonished in typical sensei fashion as the two stepped away.

"Don't worry about us Iruka-sensei. We'll be fine." Naruto replied with a grin and a wave. The two turned and began to walk away. Sasuke lifted his hand in a wave.

Aya sighed as the two got father and father away from her. Iruka put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Come on. How about I make you some breakfast." At the suggestion of food, the girl perked up.

"Breakfast?! What are we waiting for?"

Iruka chuckled as she followed him to the kitchen. She might have dragged him there if she knew where it was. Maybe cheering her up wouldn't be so hard after all if food was all it took to get her smiling. It was like having another Naruto all over again.

"So Aya...either of those two ever tell you about what happened the day they became teammates?"

xxx

Naruto and Sasuke were the last to arrive at the gates, which were just being opened.

Kakashi smirked from his perch in a tree. "Well, look who's late." he teased.

Naruto and Sasuke both rolled their eyes. "You're one to talk." Sasuke replied dryly.

"Besides, we had a good excuse." Naruto added.

"Whatever...It's way too early for this. Let's just get going." Shikamaru muttered. His eyes were barely open and he was leaning on his friend Chouji, wishing he could just go back to sleep.

"Wait, Shika." Naruto rummaged in his backpack and pulled out three scrolls and passed them to the shadow nin. "Here."

"What's this?"

"You asked for clones right?" Shikamaru raised a brow. Naruto grinned.

"They're in the scrolls? How did you do that?"

Naruto shrugged. "My father told me how to do it. I just had to figure out the seals and a few other technicalities."

"Your...father huh? Troublesome."

"Oh! One more thing." Naruto glanced at Sasuke. "You brought it right?"

"Hn." Sasuke nodded and tossed a bag on the ground.

"Alright, everybody grab one." They all looked at Naruto warily.

"This better not be a prank." Sakura growled at her teammate.

"Do I look like I would play a prank right now?" A chorus of 'Yes!' rang out. Naruto sighed and shook his head. "And you guys are supposed to be my friends."

Kakashi glanced in the bag, then his eyes went wide. "Wait...these are..." Naruto nodded. "So you can..."

Naruto ran his hand through his hair. "Well...not exactly...Kind of. It's still a little shaky. I'm hoping by the time I get there I'll have it figured out in my head."

Kakashi just shook his head, but pulled out a three-pronged kunai and tucked it away. Once he took one, everyone else began to take one as well. Inoichi and Shikaku glanced at one another as they grabbed their kunai out the pile. They hadn't seen that unusual weapon in many years. And neither of them expected to ever see it again.

"Uh...what the hell is this for?" Kiba asked.

"If you get into a bind and you need some help, just throw this at the guy." Naruto replied.

"And what's that supposed to do to help?"

Naruto smirked a the dog boy. "You'll see."

"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered as he grabbed the last one. Naruto took the rest. "Now can we go?"

"Not so fast." Tsunade and Shizune, who had Ton Ton in her arms, walked out of the shadows and stood before the group. Kotetsu and Izumo, both on guard duty once again, were suddenly wide awake and sitting up straight at the sound of her voice. But she wasn't paying either of them any attention. "All of you be careful, including _you_ Naruto." She glared at the younger blond and many of his friends snickered.

"Huh? Me?" Naruto wondered why she was singling him out. It's not like he was reckless anymore. Well...ok...maybe not as much as before...

Sasuke chuckled in Naruto's head and he turned and glared at the raven, who smirked in return.

"And make sure you work together. That's the most important thing. You might be strong on your own, but you're even stronger together." The hokage continued. "If anything goes wrong send word back to me immediately. May Kami be with you all."

Everyone nodded. Then the group turned and sped off, with the second group leaving a few minutes later.

Tsunade watched as the last of the Akatsuki bound ninja passed beyond the protection of the gates. She couldn't help but be proud of the strong group Shikamaru had put together. The young together with the not so young...they were some of the best Konoha had to offer. She could only hope and pray that they would be enough to stop Akatsuki and save them all.

With one last glance, she turned and started walking back toward the hokage tower while the gates slowly closed behind her.

xxx

_Edited 03/23/2010_

**a/n: **Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I don't know when I'll be able to get another one up. But I'll get to writing the next chapter as soon as I can. Please send me a review. Who knows....maybe seeing your thoughts will give me the impetus to update even faster. Love you all and thanks for being patient. :)


	30. The Best Laid Plans Part 2

**a/n: **Here it is! The chapter you all have been waiting months for. I'm sorry this took so long to finally come to fruition. As anyone who reads my stories knows, I'm not good at writing action scenes. My inspiration runs far away and hides from me when I know I have to write one. Comedy, even angst is easy for me, but action...my brain turns to mush. So, I hope you'll forgive me if this chapter and the next one is not the best thing ever written. I'm trying my best. Thanks for all your patience over the past six months as I dealt with more heartache than I ever want to have to deal with again. And thanks for all the reviews. I can't believe I've still been getting some even though I haven't done a chapter in months. Kisses to all of you for sticking with me. This chapter is dedicated to Imperial Mint and CrazyPurpleSage for always cheering me up with their PM's.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

**Warning: **Possible spoilers for future manga chapters.

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 28 – The Best Made Plans, Part 2**

* * *

**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

xxx

_(40 hours later)_

"Suigetsu."

The mist nin ignored the red-head next to him and continued to sharpen his sword.

"SUIGETSU!"

"What do you want?" He didn't even look up. Karin wasn't worth looking at. He continued his repetitive task as he waited for her to say what was on her little mind. It was the only thing that kept him from being bored to death while they stood guard at the entrance. Damn the Akatsuki and their stupid plans! He wanted to fight too dammit! How is it that Juugo gets to go but he has to be stuck here with this bitch?

"I think I feel...Sasuke-kun..."

Suigetsu rolled his eyes. Kami, now the idiot fangirl was imagining things. "Uh huh...of course you do." Karin stomped her foot and glared at him.

"I'm not joking idiot! I know what Sasuke's chakra feels like and I feel a lot of other chakra signatures with him, so we're about to have company." He jumped up with his sword in hand.

"Hell woman! Why didn't you say that in the first place?!"

"I DID!"

"No you didn't!"

Before they could come to blows, a body flickered into existence in front of them. Karin immediately forgot about arguing at seeing who was in front of them and blushed. _'Sasuke-kun looks so cool in black. He's even hotter than before!'_ Suigetsu shook his head at his blushing teammate. Then he eyed the newcomer with a slow smile. "Well, well, boss...it's been a while."

"Hn."

"Sasuke-kun!" The red-head squealed and pounced, wrapping her arm around Sasuke's. One by one, Konoha shinobi appeared behind Sasuke. Sakura, who walked up just in time to see the girl latch herself onto her teammate, snickered at his predicament. It reminded her of herself as a genin. Had she really been that pathetic when she was younger? Sasuke must have felt her eyes on him and turned his head just enough so she could see him glare. It only made her giggle more.

With a sigh, Sasuke turned back to the red head and deliberately pulled his arm from her grip.

"So, to what do we owe the pleasure of your company, eh Sasuke?" Suigetsu asked with a smirk. "And you brought friends along...how nice."

"Step aside Suigetsu."

"What? No hello, how are you? Missed you? Well, you never were one for pleasantries I guess. So, what happened to you, huh? No longer the avenging Uchiha? Ran back home with your tail between your legs? I'm surprised Konoha even let you back in the village, let alone out."

Sasuke hardly blinked. "I have no quarrel with you, so get out of my way."

The mist nin raised his sword. "I don't think so. I don't take orders from you anymore."

Sasuke snorted in disgust. "So you take orders from Madara instead? I thought you weren't going to let anyone push you around anymore, yet here you are playing the pathetic watch dog."

"Shut up!"

"Oh? Did I strike a nerve?" The Uchiha raised a brow, which pissed Suigetsu off even more.

"You won't sound so smug when I slice you in half!"

Sasuke chuckled. "Do you really think any of them," he gestured to the group behind him, "will let you?"

"I'll kill them too! They can't touch me." Suigetsu was about to swing his sword forward... "Hey! What the hell? Why can't I move?"

Shikamaru, who was leaning against a tree with his shadow stretching from there to Suigetsu, gave him a smirk. The smirk faded immediately when he looked at Sasuke. "We have a troublesome problem."

"What?" Sasuke asked with his eyes narrowed.

"Obviously, the Akatsuki aren't here."

"What do you mean they're not here?"

The Nara shrugged. "Just what I said. They're not here." Sasuke growled and glared at Karin.

"Karin, is this true?"

Karin ran her fingers through her hair. "Yes. They left."

"Shut up Karin!" Suigetsu growled. "You don't have to tell them anything."

"WHAT?!" Naruto yelled and ran up beside Sasuke. "What do you mean they left?"

"They left for Konoha two days ago." She replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

The ninjas' mouths dropped open.

"No..." Naruto whispered.

"Shit!" They heard Kiba yell from behind them. "That means they're probably about to attack Konoha right now!"

"We have to go back." Naruto said.

"There's no way we'll get there in time. It'll take just as long to get back." Kakashi pointed out.

"Well, there has to be a way."

"Wait!" Everyone looked at Inoichi. "Before we do anything, we need to warn Konoha. At least they'll have a fighting chance with ANBU and Root there, if we warn them."

"And Gaara." Naruto added.

"Well, he's not here yet. And we don't know where he is. There's no way we can warn the Suna contingent." Sakura stated. Then she summoned Katsuyu while Inoichi wrote a note. Once the slug disappeared with it's message, silence descended over the group. Shikamaru was in his thinking pose. Shikaku looked just like his son at the moment. Naruto was pacing nervously.

"We need a plan here!" Tsume growled.

"Leave them alone so they can think for a moment." Inoichi tried to calm her down.

"And while they're busy thinking, Konoha is about to be destroyed."

"Mom, you're not helping." Kiba groaned.

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's wrist to stop him from pacing. _'I think I might have an idea.'_

_'What?'_

_'Summons. I hid in Manda's mouth once when I had to.'_

Naruto cringed. _'Eww.'_ Sasuke rolled his eyes.

_'Not the time dobe. Besides, if you can think of a better plan, I'm all ears.'_

Naruto didn't like the idea of being inside a toad, but if that meant getting back to Konoha in time to stop Akatsuki... "Kuchiyose no Jutsu."

Gamakichi appeared and grinned at Naruto. "Yo! It's been a while."

"Yeah. Sorry, but I don't have time to chat. I need some help here. How can I get to Konoha...like, now?"

"Eh? Even if you rode pops, it would take a few hours."

"Actually, let me rephrase that. How can _we_ get to Konoha." The toad blinked at the large group.

"Ehh! All of them?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm...there might be a way, but I'd have to ask. Be right back." Gamakichi disappeared.

Meanwhile, Sasuke turned his attention back to his Hebi teammates. "I have a proposition for you." He really wasn't speaking to both of them. He knew Karin would follow him like a shadow, even if it was off a cliff to drown. Suigetsu was the one he really had to convince.

"What?" Suigetsu stuck the tip of his sword in the ground and crossed his arms.

"You still want to fight Kisame, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then come with us."

"Why should I? I'm one of the Akatsuki. I can fight Kisame anytime I want."

"Then if you're part of Akatsuki, why are you here? It's because Madara thinks you're so weak that you'll be a liability. That's why he left you here. You're worthless to him. And if Madara gets what he wants, he'll just get rid of you. You'll never get your fight. And you'll never get to fulfill your goal. However, if you fight with us, you can battle Kisame for his sword." The other man mulled over it. Really, was there even a choice to be made? He already knew how Madara felt about them. That's why he only took Juugo. So...sit here and be bored to death or leave with Sasuke and satisfy his bloodlust.

"Alright. You've got a deal."

"Hn."

"What about Juugo?" Karin asked.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "He took him didn't he?" Karin nodded. "Hn...I'm not surprised. I'll deal with that when I see him. For now tho-"

A poof of smoke interrupted him and announced the toad's return. Except, it wasn't Gamakichi. It was an old toad.

"Huh? Who are you? And where's Gamakichi?" Naruto asked.

"Ah...little Jiraiya's student. I am Fukusaku. So, I hear you need some assistance."

"Yeah, Akatsuki's on their way to Konoha and we're too far away to get back in time. We need to get back there quick."

"Hmm..." The little toad stroked it's beard. "Well, there is a way. But I want your word that after Konoha is saved, you will come to Myobokuzan and train in the sage arts."

Naruto didn't know what the sage arts were and didn't really care at the moment. As long as he could get back to Konoha, he'd worry about the details later. "Deal."

The toad grinned. "Alright then. You'll have to gather round. Since Naruto is the only one with a contract with the toads, you'll have to all stay connected to him."

"Huh? Wait...what are you going to do?" Naruto asked. Sasuke took one hand. Sakura took the other. Suigetsu got to Sasuke before Karin, just to piss her off. The rest grabbed the hand next to them.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine." Before anyone could say anything, the group disappeared.

* * *

A popping sound and a poof of smoke woke Tsunade from her dozing.

"Tsunade-sama..." Her eyes widened at the sight of the small slug on her desk. A sense of dread filled her. Something had to be wrong.

"Katsuyu? What are you doing here? Did something happen?"

"I have a note for you from Inoichi-san." The slug opened it's mouth to reveal the message. Tsunade took it and began to read. Her hands started trembling and when she finished, the note dropped from her hand and floated to the desk. Shock quickly turned to anger and she slammed her fist against the desk, splitting the poor piece of furniture in half and sending paperwork everywhere.

"SHIZUNE!"

The assistant flung open the door. "Yes Tsunade-sama?" She stopped short at the sight of the room. But she didn't get a chance to ask about it.

"Send messages to all shinobi. We need to evacuate the civilians immediately. And all shinobi should go to their assigned positions. Akatsuki is coming."

"What?!"

"Now Shizune!"

"Yes Tsunade-same."

The blonde groaned and sat in her chair with her head in her hands. This was a disaster. The worst possible thing that could have happened just did. They planned for every single thing, every possibility. But not this. None of them ever expected Akatsuki to come to attack Konoha at the exact same time she sent forces to destroy them. And the worst...there was no way the group could possibly make it back in time.

She let out a deep sigh. Her eyes strayed to the picture of the legendary hokage.

"Well Minato...I think I finally might get the chance to understand you."

So be it. Konoha was in trouble. And it would be up to her to make sure it didn't fall.

* * *

Madara watched the village.

Juugo watched Madara.

He was silent of course...he was never one for many words, after all. He would rather talk to the animals. And right now, a bird was perched on his shoulder telling him something very interesting. A large group of ninja left the village two days ago and headed to the east. That direction led straight to Amegakure and Akatsuki headquarters. He sort of hoped Sasuke and his friend were with them. Then at least the crazed Uchiha (for yes, he did believe the man was just short of insane...it took one to know another) wouldn't get what he wanted. He felt sorry for the village though. It seemed to be a beautiful place...peaceful, as far as ninja villages were. He hated that the man would probably use him for his horrible power. He didn't want to use it. He didn't want to be forced to kill. He didn't want to be part of the genocide of a nation. His young face saddened as he looked at the doomed village. He wished there was something he could do to stop it.

Madara stood in a tree far enough that he wouldn't be seen, but close enough to see over the gates of Konoha. Many parts of the village were still being rebuilt. But there was still a sense of peace about the village, almost as if Pein's attack never happened. Children played. Parents called after them to make sure they wouldn't go too far away or go near the reconstruction. Ninja walked around, on alert, but not much more than normal. The only difference was the sight of ANBU guarding the entrance instead of the usual chuunin. Still, it amused him.

It was perfect. Everyone walked around as if nothing could possibly go wrong. Their overconfidence, even in the face of tragic events, made him angry. He would crush them...utterly and completely. He would make sure there was nothing left of it but rubble and dust. It would be over quickly and he would leave with everything he wanted. With a smirk, he called his subordinate.

"Pein. Is everything ready?" Pein, who was standing on the ground in front of the tree, never looked up at the leader. He silently communicated with Konan and his paths.

"Yes, they are all ready."

"Good. Let's go." Madara jumped lightly to the ground, not even making a sound. He walked forward, beckoning Juugo to follow with a finger. Pein walked beside him. Zetsu melted into the ground. He would be observing and recording, as usual. As they kept walking, Kisame fell in step with his leader, heaving his sword over his shoulder with a bloodthirsty grin. Konan and the other paths followed behind Pein.

Normally Madara would hang back and watch the proceedings. He was positive that Pein, Konan and Kisame could do what was needed without any help from him. But he'd waited years...YEARS for this moment. He was not about to miss out on the opportunity to take part in Konoha's ultimate destruction.

There would be no sneak attack, no tripping alarms. Madara was going to be bold this time. He would walk right through the front gate and no one could stop him. A smirk so typical of the Uchiha overtook his leathery face as the gates loomed over them.

Before they could enter the village, four black and white lion-like beasts jumped out from above and stood in front of the gates growling.

* * *

The scene in the western part of the village looked very different from the peaceful scene on the other end where they were not yet aware of the impending danger. Civilians were gathering up their children and precious belongings in a frenzy as chuunin warned them to evacuate. Most civilian knew the evacuation procedure by heart.

Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon continually yelled for everyone to stay calm as they escorted a group of civilians toward the caves. He took the front, Moegi the middle, and Udon hung toward the back. Konohamaru was still mad that he was put on escort duty. He was a chuunin! A genin could escort civilians. He wanted to fight like Ebisu-sensei.

"Konohamaru!" He looked toward the source of the sound and saw a familiar face.

"Iruka-sensei! What are you doing here?" The teacher smiled despite the circumstances and pointed behind him. The younger boy saw another large group of civilians.

"Same as you." Their groups ended up merging into one and the four ninja concentrated on leading them to the caves. As they moved closer to their destination, they met more groups from other parts of the village and everyone made the exodus toward the only safe place they knew. Just as they reached the caves, the explosions began. People screamed as they looked behind them and saw the dark clouds in the distance.

"Get inside. Hurry!" Iruka yelled with his authoritative teacher voice that caused everyone to re-focus on him. The group moved ahead even quicker than before as many of the civilians began to panic.

"Please, stay calm." Moegi yelled as people began to run and push. Udon tried to make sure no one fell. Konohamaru saw a little girl hanging back from the group with tears coursing down her face. He ran up to her and picked her up. The girl cried loudly for her mommy and the teen rolled his eyes as the girl sniffled against his scarf. Disgusting!

"Hey, we'll find you mom, okay? Just stop crying." Unfortunately, he was never any good with children. That was Moegi's thing. The girl cried even harder and Konohamaru cringed. As soon as he got to Moegi he practically threw the little girl at her and went the other way. After helping the last of the group inside, he and Iruka worked at sealing the opening. Both of them sighed when that was done.

Iruka was worried. He was sure by now Naruto had reached the hideout. They were probably just now on their way back. But there was no way they'd make it in time. He ran a hand over his face. He wasn't one to pray much. But right now, he was praying to every god possibly in existence to give them the strength to fight until the task force could make it back. Then he heard a groan. He looked at Konohamaru, who was pouting like a little kid.

"What's wrong?"

"It's not fair. I should be out there fighting. Not playing babysitter to a bunch of civilians." The man chuckled. He was reminded of his favorite student. Naruto would probably be complaining the same way. He put a hand on the teen's shoulder and pushed him forward. They walked toward the back of the cave, where the civilians were being settled.

"You know...while escorting the civilians to safety may not be a mission with a lot of glory, it is probably the most important job there is."

"Huh?"

"Think about it." With a smile, Iruka gestured ahead. By now they had reached the group. Mothers were sitting and comforting their young children. Academy aged children talked among themselves. A large group of genin were also gathered together. Many were just out of the academy themselves...too inexperienced to battle. Fathers tried to reassure their families. "Just look at them."

Konohamaru looked around the room until his eyes were back on his old sensei.

"Do you see what I see?"

The young teen looked confused. Iruka couldn't help chuckling.

"Those genin over there, also the young children being comforted by their parents...they are the future of Konoha. Without them, there is no Konoha. Without them, there is no will of fire. They and everyone else in here is why this is one of the most important missions there is. We are protecting our future."

Konohamaru's eyes widened.

"A true ninja is one who protects his people. Protection does not always involve fighting." Iruka watched as comprehension dawned. "Of course, that doesn't mean we shouldn't be prepared to fight. There's a reason why the Hokage assigns chuunin for this task. Someone could break through the wards that keep the caves protected. If that happens, those of us here are the only line of defense. We need to be ready for anything. Understand?"

Konohamaru gave the man a grin. "Yes Iruka-sensei. I understand."

Iruka ruffled his hair and chuckled as the younger chuunin tried to duck away in embarrassment.

"Go find your team. I'm sure their looking for you."

"Yosh!" The teen grinned and ran off with his scarf trailing behind him. It made Iruka chuckle again. Konohamaru might be a chuunin, but he was still in many was just a kid. He sighed and thought of his other student.

_"Naruto...I don't know how...but please make it back in time."_

* * *

The smoke cleared and various ones of them swayed on their feet and groaned at the way their heads spun.

"Whoa. That was...trippy." Kiba voiced aloud. Akamaru whined in agreement.

As the group slowly got their bearings, they began to look around with some bit of awe. Not many ninja had summons of their own. And of those that did, few had the privilege of ever seeing the land of their summons.

"Where the hell are we gramps?" Naruto muttered.

The old toad chuckled in amusement. The boy - no, young man - was much like little Jiraiya. "Welcome to Myobokuzan."

"H-How did you do that?"

"Hm? Oh get you here? You were summoned, of course. By him." One webbed foot gestured to the side. The ninja all turned and their eyes immediately went up, up, and up some more. They gasped in awe at the presence that towered over them. Naruto, though, grinned and ran to jump on the toad's head.

"Hey boss! It's been ages."

The giant toad chuckled around his pipe before he grumbled, "Troublesome brat. You always bring me more trouble. You don't even know how hard it is for one toad to summon a group as large as this."

"Heh..." Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh...sorry?"

"Forget it brat. I'll call it even when you share sake with me after we beat that damned ancient Uchiha."

"Alright."

"I suggest you all rest. We will both need it before we send you to Konoha." Fukusaku directed at the group.

"What?!" Naruto jumped off the boss toad's head.

"We don't have time to rest!" Naruto, Kiba and Tsume chorused.

"Time runs differently here. If I took you away from Konoha for one hour, it would be one day here."

Both Nara and Uchiha eyebrows raised at that. The older Nara nodded in understanding.

"We'll rest for a few hours." Even his son's eyes went wide, along with everyone else's. "I know it sounds troublesome, but we spent quite a bit of energy to get to the hideout as quickly as we did. It won't hurt to gather some energy before the battle. And with the plans we had in place, even if Akatsuki attacks, Root and ANBU should be able to hold them off until we get there."

Everyone nodded in acceptance and sat wherever they could find a spot. Sasuke made sure he sat as far away from Karin as possible. She pouted when she noticed his proximity, but his dark eyes dared her to step one foot toward him. She would've been tempted to try his patience anyway if not for the sound of cracking knuckles she heard next to her. Startled, she turned to find a pink-haired green-eyed girl giving her a look that she was sure could quite possibly kill her. With a shudder she made herself comfortable in her Sasukeless spot.

Sakura grinned at her teammate. Sasuke looked visibly relieved and gave her a nod of thanks. Then his eyes searched out Naruto, who he found sitting next to Fukusaku and looked to be having a serious discussion with the old toad. After watching for a while, he turned away and closed his eyes. He knew he wouldn't get much rest, but at least he could meditate and visualize exactly how he was going to kill Madara. This time he was oblivious to his teammate's eyes that observed him.

She couldn't help but smile as she watched those onyx eyes immediately go searching for her other teammate. The more time she spent around the two boys, the more she began to suspect there was something more between them. It was so subtle, she doubted either of them even knew. The two were clueless about that kind of thing, after all.

Naruto's head turned slightly and he flashed a smile at Sasuke before he turned back to the toad.

Sakura grinned and looked away. Yep, definitely something.

Sasuke was well into meditating when he heard Naruto's footsteps coming toward him and then heard him sit down. Sasuke didn't bother opening his eyes though. He didn't need to. Why bother when he could just talk to him in his mind.

_"What's up?"_

_"Nothing much. Just talked about the training he's going to give me when this is all over."_ He paused. _"And the hiraishin."__  
_

_"Something's bothering you, I can tell."_

Naruto sighed and fiddled with the three pronged kunai in his hand. He had asked Fukusaku about the basics of reverse summons and about the possibility of summoning himself. The toad told him his theory, but he still wasn't sure it would work. But what the toad said was probably better than any idea he could come up with. At least he knew now what it felt like to be summoned. He wondered if he should try to give it some practice before they left Myobokuzan. _"I don't know if I'll be able to figure this out in time."_

_"You will."_

_"But what if I don't?"_

_"Then you'll survive without it. You always do. It's not like you don't have other weapons at your disposal."_ His hand twitched with the want to ruffle those errant blond locks, but he refrained. Too many people around...

No more words were said between them. They took the time they had left to rest and think. Sasuke continued his meditation. Naruto kept visualizing Fukusaku's theory in his head. Then he stood and walked away. Sasuke opened one eye as he left.

_"Don't worry, I'm just going to practice. I can't just sit and wait anymore."_

_"Hn."_

Two hours later, Sasuke woke up from a nap to see Naruto back beside him with that tell tale determination in his eyes.

"It is time." Fukusaku's voice drew his attention away from his friend before he could ask him anything. Everyone got up and made sure they had their supplies and weapons. Gamabunta towered over them smoking his pipe. The group took each others' hands once again. Naruto gave the boss toad a grin.

"You better be ready boss. I might need you soon." The toad laughed.

"Who said I'd come when you call brat?"

And then the group was gone.

* * *

Four black and white lion-like creatures jumped down from above and stood guard in front of the gates.

Akatsuki stopped. Madara smirked.

"I guess our presence isn't as much of a surprise as I thought it would be."

Masked ninja suddenly appeared all around them.

Madara chuckled at the large contingent of ANBU that surround his group. Then he saw the tanto each member held. No, not just ANBU...Root. "So...even without Shimura Danzou's leadership, Root still lives on. What a surprise. I was sure the Hokage would've disbanded them."

No one acknowledged the old man's taunts. Sai, masked like all the others, stepped to the front. "This is as far as you go, Uchiha Madara."

"Hn...so, you know who I am. I see young Sasuke has been talking about me. If he has told you that much, then you should know that you can't stop me." Suddenly the man disappeared, only to reappear behind Sai. He jumped away before Madara could touch him. The sound of steel rang out behind him as others battled the rest of the members of Akatsuki. Juugo tried to distance himself from the fighting, hoping that through will alone - and ignoring the sound of fighting - his curse would not flare up.

Sai and two others rushed the Akatsuki leader. Madara smirked and his black eye turned red as the sharingan activated. One tanto slashed through his back and the other went through his stomach. To their dismay, Madara didn't seem the least bit pained.

"You know, that would've been quite painful. Unfortunately, you can't touch me."

Sai retreated a few steps out of Madara's range. "You also can't attack when you do that technique."

Madara chuckled. "Ah, you're a smart one. But, it won't help you here." He disappeared and reappeared behind the other ninja and before he had a chance to get away, stabbed him through with a tanto hidden in his robes. Sai saw Fu appear behind Madara and he ran forward hoping if both of them attacked one might connect. Madara spun out of the way and grabbed Fu's arm. Sai narrowly avoided the blade of his teammate that Madara was now controlling. He jumped backwards and threw several kunai. The Akatsuki leader released Fu and blurred from sight. Fu and Sai both stood back to back breathing hard and concentrated on being alert to even the smallest movement.

In the blink of an eye Madara appeared in front of them. Sai tried to avoid the blade coming at him, but the blade caught him in his shoulder. He grunted in pain and grabbed his shoulder as he jumped away. Fu tried to slash at Madara as he went, hoping to catch him off guard while he was corporeal, but Madara saw him coming and released Sai and just managed to get out of the way without injury.

Sai kneeled on the ground panting and checked his injured shoulder. He grimaced slightly at the blood that poured through his fingers. Unfortunately, he had no time to spare tending to himself. He glanced at his group. They weren't faring well. Bodies were falling one by one and yet every single member of Akatsuki was still standing without a scratch. They were losing...badly.

"Pein. Go." Madara commanded. The man and his paths, along with Konan, ran toward the entrance of the village. Sai watched in dismay. There was no way he could stop them.

Before they could get through the gate they heard a yell from above. The village bound Akatsuki scattered just in time as a fist slammed into the ground and split it apart at the spot they were just in. The hokage stood and glared at them. Two ANBU landed on either side of her and entered their battle stances.

"No way in hell am I letting you get through here again." She cracked her knuckles.

Pein stared at her. Konan stood next to him and his paths stood behind him. "You can't possibly stop all of us."

"Well I sure as hell can try." She ran toward them with her hand in a fist and slammed her fist in the ground in front of them. They jumped out of the way. Konan, while in the air, transformed into paper. Sharp projectiles began raining down toward Tsunade and her guards. The ANBU flashed through hand signs and both blew fire from their mouths, destroying the paper projectiles. She leveled another powerful punch at Pein.

Then she gasped. The closer her fist got to his face, the slower her speed seemed to get.

Pein shifted a few inches. Her fist met air. Tsunade's eyes went wide. _ 'What the hell?! How could I possibly miss?'_

Meanwhile, two other paths sprinted toward the gates. She saw them out of the corner of her eyes.

"Oh no you don't!" Tsunade yelled, ready to bolt forward and stop them but she was stopped by a hand gripping her arm. She turned around and gasped as Pein stared down at her and gripped harder, just enough for a twinge of pain to run through her arm.

"Tsunade-sama!" One guard yelled as he pulled his blade and jumped forward, planning on slicing off Pein's arm. Just an inch before the blade touched the covered arm, it stopped. The ANBU's eyes went wide under his mask as he realized he couldn't move the blade. Then suddenly he went flying backwards as he was repelled away and landed against a tree where he fell to the ground and grimaced in pain. The other guard, seeing his partner was down, was tempted to charge, but he held back. Any jutsu he might try would possibly hurt the Hokage. That possibility also applied to any flying objects. He would have to wait for an opening.

Tsunade growled and punched with her other arm but Pein caught her fist in his hand and started squeezing. She twitched in pain but refused to cry out, even when the pain made her go to her knees.

"You cannot stop a god." She glared at the two paths that were getting farther away from her and closing in on the gates. "Now, where is the nine tails?"

She started laughing, partly as a release from the pain and partly in amusement. First, there was the idea of a man like him calling himself a god. And what made him think that she, the hokage, would actually give her precious person away so easily. "He's not here. You just missed him by about two days. Sucks for you. And don't think you've won yet!" She smirked as a large contingent of ANBU appeared at the gates.

For a moment, everyone in the clearing felt relief at seeing a new blockade by more ANBU. However, the hokage's smirk died, along with everyone's hopes, as one of the paths absorbed every technique the ANBU threw at them. At the same time, the robotic looking path grabbed the female one and threw her high and far into the air. The female disappeared into the village. Tsunade growled angrily and threw a powerful kick at Pein, but he repelled it. He stared at her impassively while she glared at him.

A chuckle behind them had both of them turning at the sound. Madara smirked as he walked toward them.

"Very good job, Pein. Not only did you breach the village, you lured their leader out of it."

"YOU!" Tsunade growled at the sight of the legendary figure.

"Tsunade...the last living member of the Senju clan. It's an honor."

She glared at Madara with hatred. "My grandfather should've made sure he killed you."

"That was one of his mistakes. And all of you will pay for it. I'll make sure you're first though."

Pein still kept her from moving and no one could get close enough to inflict damage. Madara's eye shifted into the mangekyou and she quickly looked away only to see something that would've made her smirk. But she kept a poker face...even if her gambling sucked, she knew how to bluff well.

Pein never noticed the sand that silently slithered across the grass. It swiftly slid up Pein's legs and covered his lower body before he finally noticed. His ringed eyes widened and he looked up.

The Kazekage stood far enough away with one arm stretch out in front of him. Temari and Kankuro stood behind him with fans and puppets ready to attack.

Pein's eyes narrowed and seconds later the sand exploded away from his body. Tsunade immediately kicked out once again, this time connecting. The man buckled and let go of her arms. She retreated to where the other Konoha anbu stood and gave the Kazekage and small smile of thanks. "I thought you were-"

"I made a detour. It seems I was right to do so." Gaara replied.

Madara laughed.

"I hate to interrupt, but don't you have a village to worry about?" He asked with a smirk. The moment he said the words, all the paths still in the clearing and Konan disappeared.

"What the hell? What did you do?!" She growled at him.

Her question was answered by an explosion in the heart of the village. She cursed her horrible luck.

"Tsunade-sama?" The call came from the ANBU guard behind her. "Please go back."

"But..."

"We will handle things here." The injured guard added as he came up next to him and gave her a nod. Sai and the last of his Root companions also came up behind them. "The village is more important."

She glanced at the sand ninja.

"They are right. Konoha needs you." The young Kazekage stated. "Other Suna nin are already inside."

She felt marginal relief at that. And she knew her guards were right. She needed to be inside the walls. With a last meaningful glance at the red-head that said 'take care of them,' she flashed through hand signs and addressed her ninja. "I...no, Konoha is counting on all of you." Then she did the last hand sign and disappeared.

Gaara glanced at his brother and sister. "Go." Both of them knew not to argue and ran off to help.

Ten ANBU and one ex-jinchuuriki, now Kazekage, faced Uchiha Madara and Hoshigaki Kisame. On paper, the odds would seem to favor Konoha.

Sai never bothered with something as fickle as odds. But even he had to admit that, despite the favorable numbers, the odds seemed to be against them.

A loud growl sounded from behind them. Madara's grin got even wider. The ninja only saw sand rush past them. They turned around at the angry roar and saw a large powerful beastlike person being, just barely, held back by sand.

Sai revised his opinion. The odds were definitely against them.

* * *

Tsunade, back on top of the roof of the hokage tower, summoned Katsuyu.

"Attach yourself to everyone injured and use my chakra to heal them," she commanded.

"Things must be going badly then. Alright." The giant slug separated into countless small slugs and slowly made it's way through the village to do her summoner's bidding. Meanwhile, the hokage took her place in the middle of a circle of ANBU and willed her chakra to flow out toward her slugs.

Some minutes later, someone landed on the roof. She turned as her guards jumped up and stood in defense of their leader. She gasped as Pein's rinnegan stared back at her. She never took her eyes off of him as she stood and left the circle.

"You know, if you would just tell me where to find the nine tails, I would be willing to spare your village. I only want to bring peace."

"Liar!" She yelled. "If your interests lie in peace, then why are you with Akatsuki? You're nothing but a bunch of terrorists trying to destroy what our forefathers built. Nothing you say will convince me to help you."

"There is no stability in this world. Your version of stability only causes violence."

"We're not perfect. No one is. I'm not saying Konoha or any other village does everything right. But we've done the best we can and keep things as peaceful as possible."

"And yet wars continue. War brings nothing but pain, injury and death."

"You act like you're the only one that has ever suffered. The great nations have suffered just as much."

Pein turned away. "Don't make me laugh. You don't know what suffering is. But today you will. I am a god. And you will understand pain."

"A god you say?" She laughed harshly. "Please! I remember you as a child. You are just another man, flesh and blood, just like the rest of us. I've had enough of your ridiculous accusations! And I refuse to believe that your way is right."

"Then you will feel pain...accept pain...know pain..." Those were his last words as he jumped high into the air with the aid of chakra.

Tsunade glared at him as he soared to the sky. Her brow furrowed with concern. "What the hell does he have up his sleeve now?"

* * *

ANBU and chuunin all over the village stopped fighting as their enemies suddenly disappeared.

Outside the gates, the battle still raged on. Juugo was going wild and lashed out at everything in his way. Even Madara and Kisame had to jump out of the way more than once. The Konoha ninja exhausted themselves trying to dodge the raging monster. The injuries mounted. Gaara used his sand to block the worst strikes, but even he couldn't stop Juugo completely.

Madara suddenly chuckled in a way that had every one of the ninja on edge even more than before. Killer intent flooded the area. The ANBU were hard pressed not to go to their knees.

"Juugo...stop!" he spoke. The raging beast suddenly stopped in his tracks and slowly came back to himself. Unfortunately, there was no chance for the Konoha nin to breathe a sigh of relief.

Kisame set Samehada to the ground and laughed with a bloodthirsty grin. "Heh, heh...he's really about to do it, huh?" He grinned. "Take a moment and watch the show. It'll be worth it."

Gaara's eyes narrowed. A panting Sai, a heavily bleeding Fu, and the other exhausted ANBU looked up in sky and saw Pein high above the village.

"What the hell?" One of them muttered.

There was a poof of smoke. Five paths and Konan appeared.

Sai saw them but none of them moved. He looked back up to the sky. He wasn't sure what was about to happen. But he had a very bad feeling. He was not a religious person...most shinobi weren't. Not really. But at that moment, he felt the urge to pray to any god that would listen.

He may not have known what was about to happen.

But he knew one thing.

Konoha needed a miracle.

xxx

_Reviews are always appreciated. Hmm...so when will our favorite ninjas show up eh? ;)_


	31. The End?

**a/n: **Thanks for the reviews, as well as your patience! Between work, carpal tunnel and being out of town for a few days, this chapter ended up taking longer than I planned. In fact, it started getting so long, I decided to split this in two. I'm hoping to have the other part of it done soon. Hope you enjoy this installment and please feel free to review.

On a different note, I've had quite a few people ask about yaoi or no yaoi the past couple of chapters. For the record, there will not be yaoi in this story. From the very beginning I committed to this being a friendship story with some slight nudges along the way. I feel that Sasuke and Naruto had to rekindle their friendship (and in Sasuke's case learn to be a friend altogether) before they could go beyond that. Well, it looks like they've got the friendship thing down. XD Anyways, because I have a lot of loyal readers of this story that decided to read it because it wasn't intending to be yaoi, I'm not going to change it now. However, for all my yaoi lovers out there (which includes me) you'll have to wait until after this story ends to find out what will happen to our dynamic duo. Fear not, there won't be a long time between the end of this story and that story because I already have most of it written. It's just waiting... :) Also, after so many wanted to beat me up for bashing my own action, I promise to never bash my writing again.

Also, check out the poll in my profile if you haven't already. I'm letting my readers decide which story I will finish after I finish this one.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

**Warning: **Possible spoilers for future manga chapters.

**

* * *

Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 29 – The End?  
**

* * *

**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

xxx

_Sai saw them but none of them moved. He looked back up to the sky. He wasn't sure what was about to happen. But he had a very bad feeling. He was not a religious person...most shinobi weren't. Not really. But at that moment, he felt the urge to pray to any god that would listen._

_He may not have known what was about to happen._

_But he knew one thing for sure._

_Konoha needed a miracle._

There was a loud pop followed by smoke near the gates.

"Yes! We made it. Thanks gramps."

"Hurry up dobe. We have a village to save." Sai now understood what relief felt like at the sound of the familiar voices.

The relief ended up being short lived.

"SHINRA..."

**xxx**

Tsunade gasped in realization of what Pein was about to do.

"PEIN!"

"SHINRA TENSEI!"

**xxx**

Konohamaru was sitting on the ground lazily spinning a kunai around his finger when the shaking began.

Everyone started screaming as the ground above, below and around them shook and rocks and dust started falling all around them.

"Everyone, get down!" Iruka yelled. He grabbed Aya and another child and pulled them underneath him.

Konohamaru grabbed Moegi. Udon covered the lost little girl that had become their charge.

Husbands protected their wives. Parents protected their children.

And everyone prayed.

**xxx**

The explosion started at the center of the village and blew outward. The resulting shockwave resulted in a systematic destruction that couldn't be stopped. Mile after mile, buildings crumbled into dust until the entire village was nothing but rubble.

The whole village was destroyed in less than one minute.

And then there was complete silence. A horrible eerie silence.

A thick cloud of dust and smoke hung over the air, making visibility and breathing almost impossible.

Then the muted calls for help began from beneath the rubble.

The Akatsuki task force could only stare in a mixture of awe and horror from their vantage point as they witnessed their village's destruction in the blink of an eye.

A cold malevolent laugh pulled them all from their stupor.

Uchiha Madara walked forward with a triumphant grin. Hashirama's legacy was finally gone. Konoha was gone. And the last two things he wanted stood right in front of him.

Naruto shook with the force of his anger. For the first time in years, his eyes turned red and there was flare of the lesser amount of vile chakra that ran through his veins before he stamped it down.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" he growled.

* * *

Tsunade wearily pulled herself from the rubble, with some help from one of the ANBU. With a groan she got to her knees and looked around at what was left of the village hidden in the leaves. The smoke slowly dissipated enough for her to see the outcome of such a devastating jutsu.

It was gone.

The entire village was gone. Every single building had been blasted to dust.

Blood trickled down her cheek unnoticed. Her hands balled into fists and she shook with her anger. Anyone who really looked at her would be able to notice the slight difference in her. The purple diamond on her forehead was gone. "Damn you Pein...I'll never forgive you."

Rubble shifted all over the village as one by one, moaning and choking ninja crawled out, some with the aid of others, many with slugs still attached to them. Almost everyone was injured in some way, but they all survived, thanks to Tsunade's chakra.

Kankuro pushed his way out of the concrete and pulled his sister with him. Temari hacked the dust from her lungs and groaned.

"What the hell was that?"

"Hell if I know. You okay Temari?"

"Ugh...yeah, I think so." She grumbled as she checked herself over for any injuries. Then she pulled her fans free. One of them was damaged beyond repair. That was enough to piss her off. "Damn it! I swear, I'll kill whoever was responsible for this. That was my favorite fan!"

She expected some kind of sarcastic remark from her brother. It didn't happen.

"Kankuro?"

She looked up at him and found him staring the other way.

"Hey...Kankuro?" She was about to berate him for ignoring her until she looked past him at the village. Or what was left of it. She slowly turned in a complete circle as she gaped at the devastation. "Oh Kami..."

"Yeah..." Kankuro glanced at Temari, then he shook himself free of his thoughts. "We better go find Gaara."

"Yeah."

* * *

Naruto would've blindly charged forward like his younger self if not for Sasuke grabbing him by the collar to pull him back.

"Let go teme!" he yelled as he struggled to free himself, but Sasuke's hand was like a vice.

"Idiot! Calm down."

"Hell no! Look at what he did-"

Sasuke's sharingan flared to life as he glared at the blond. "Calm...down...now." Naruto glared back. Finally, he took a deep breath and his eyes returned to their normal blue.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Don't be. He'll get his. We just have to stick to the plan."

"About that..." Shikamaru announced, "It's a drag, but change of plans. Sakura and Ino, you two better head into the village. I have a feeling they will need all the medical help they can get."

"Right." The girls nodded and left.

"Team Gai, join with Naruto and the Kazekage. I figure Sasuke's friend won't be willing to do anything else besides fight the shark guy."

"Damn straight!" Suigetsu replied as he gripped his sword.

"Temari and Kankuro...wait, where are they?"

"Here!" They both landed next to Shikamaru.

"Troublesome...anyway...Shibi and Kiba, I'm taking you both off my dad's team and putting you with them now that Sakura's out. And you, the red-head," He pointed at Karin, "you go with my dad. Your abilities will help them."

Karin glared at the shadow user. "But I want to stay with Sasuke-kun."

"Karin." She turned to her crush, who was glaring at her. "Go with them."

She crossed her arms and pouted. "Fine." She sulked as she walked off with them.

"If you're done..." Madara interrupted sarcastically.

"I say we just chop them all to pieces." Kisame said with a laugh as he walked over and stood next to his leader.

"I'll chop you to pieces first!" Suigetsu growled.

"You wouldn't be able to even scratch me rookie."

"I'll slice you in half!"

"Bring it on brat!"

Suigetsu ended up being the proverbial leaf drop. He ran at Kisame with a yell and a loud clang rang through the air as the large swords clashed.

Konan used the distraction to shift into paper and leave unnoticed. The other paths could hold their own. Nagato, though, was on his own and had just lost half his chakra. She needed to protect him.

Meanwhile, one of the paths launched high into the hair.

Gaara looked up, eyes narrowed. "Not this time." He stretched out his arm and sand shot forward at his command and flew upwards towards the flying path. It wrapped around her leg and yanked her down.

The path that threw her opened his mechanical arm and aimed at the preoccupied Kazekage.

"Dynamic Entry!"

Gai's foot slammed into one side of the path's face while Lee's slammed into the other side, crushing the mechanical face. Then both worked together using strong fist to render the mechanical path useless. It fell to the ground in pieces. Then the two of them sported twin sparkling grins and gave each other a thumbs up.

Sand swiftly pulled the caught path down and slammed her into the ground with enough force to kill a normal person. But Gaara took no chances and more sand moved forward until the path was covered completely from head to toe. "Sabaku Sousou," he muttered and the sand crushed the path.

"That's two down." Tenten said as she landed by the two green beasts.

"Unfortunately, they'll be back if we don't stop that one." Neji pointed to the burly spiky haired path. "He can revive the other ones."

"You take care of the ones out here." Naruto walked up behind them. "I'm going after Pein. I have a score to settle with him."

"Lee, we must follow our youthful companion!" Gai boomed as Naruto bounded off.

"Yes, Gai-sensei!" Lee yelled and raised a fist in the air. The two clones ran after the blond.

Gaara glanced at his two siblings. "Don't die."

"Geez little brother. Could you be any more positive?" Kankuro asked. Temari pushed him toward their opponent. "Be careful Gaara," she tossed over her shoulder. But he was already gone, following his closest friend, only a few grains of sand in the air remained.

_'Don't do anything stupid dobe.'_ Sasuke's voice entered Naruto's mind.

_'Same goes for you teme. Kick Madara's ass!'_

_'Hn.'_ Sasuke smirked from his spot as he watched the blond soar over the walls. He turned to stare at his oldest living relative with his sharingan spinning. As if there was any doubt that he would do just that.

* * *

Shikaku's group stopped at a clearing in the woods.

"What are you doing? We don't have time to stop." Tsume growled.

"Relax. It's only for a minute." The shadow nin sighed as he turned to the newest member of their group. "You...what's your name?"

"Karin."

"You can sense chakra?"

"Of course." She put a hand on her hip. "Why?"

"We need to find the source of Pein's chakra that transmits to the other paths."

"Eh? But he's back in the village."

"No, not that one. He's not the real one. The real one is somewhere else. It's important that we find him. It's the only way to completely defeat Pein. He'll be somewhere high. Those two with the dogs," he pointed to the Inuzukas, "can sniff out anything abnormal, but you'll probably have an easier time finding what we're looking for."

Karin rolled her eyes and gave a sigh like they were asking so much of her. "So you want me to find wherever this guy is transmitting his chakra from? Fine...But I'm only doing this because of Sasuke-kun." The girl gave a dreamy smile and thought of how much he would love her for getting the most important job done for him. Her dream took shape in her mind. _'Sasuke-kun...'_

"Ahem!"

She turned to glare at whoever just interrupted her daydream. Tsume and Hana growled with enough killing intent to stop what was about to be a rant. "Right..." Instead, she began to feel out for any powerful chakra, filtering out the many chakra signatures that she felt back by the gates of the village...searching for that one chakra that might be...

There!

"I think I've got something."

"Where?" Kiba asked excitedly. He was ready for a good fight.

"That way." She pointed to the west. Every pair of eyes followed her finger to the highest peak anywhere near the village.

* * *

Pein touched the ground right in front of Tsunade.

She stood her ground proudly and glared at the enemy.

"I am the Godaime Hokage and I will never forgive you for trampling on the treasure...the dreams of those who came before me. As Hokage, I will stop you here and now." She slammed her fist into her hand for emphasis.

Pein stared ahead of her impassively. "I see you finally understand a bit of my pain. However, I have no use for you." A sharp piece of steel appeared out of the right arm of his cloak. He sped forward, too quickly for Tsunade to react. Her eyes went wide as he thrust the weapon toward her heart.

"Tsunade-sama!" One of the ANBU yelled as he tried to reach her.

"The one I want..."

Steel met steel.

"Is me, right?"

Naruto was in front of her, his Seishinryoku blocking the deadly strike.

"Rasengan!" A clone on each side, both wielding a spinning ball of chakra, converged on Pein. Just before they would've connected, they were repelled and both clones exploded into smoke.

Tsunade stared at the boy...no man...in front of her. In that moment, she could almost see Minato.

"Naruto..." He didn't even look back.

"There's no need for the hokage to have to deal with scum like him. Go have some tea...no, in your case, some sake. I'll take care of this."

The nearby ANBU wasted no time helping her away.

"So we finally meet Uzumaki Naruto, jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko and student of Jiraiya-sensei."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Sensei?"

"Jiraiya was my sensei at one time." Naruto was surprised at that. "Now, you should just come along quietly."

Naruto glared. "As if I would just let you take me away."

"I am a god. You are no match for me." The two combatants glared at each other from across the rubble. Naruto crossed his arms.

"Your weird clones can't help you this time. They're a little preoccupied."

"I don't need them to take care of you."

"Maybe...but can you take care of both of us?" Naruto asked with a smirk as sand silently slithered past his foot and closed in on Pein.

**xxx**

"Shishou!"

Sakura and Ino landed next to Tsunade, just as she had been helped to the ground by an ANBU.

"Are you ok?"

"I'll be fine." Tsunade shakily waved off her student. "I'm sure there are others that need more help than me."

"Shizune found a clear spot to serve as the hospital for the moment. She and Hinata are treating the injured as we speak."

"You two should go help them. I'll come and help in a moment."

"No way! You need treatment...you don't need to be helping." Ino replied.

"Nonsense. I'll be fine after some rest."

Sakura growled. "Stop being so stubborn! You're not doing anything but getting treated. Then you're going to rest. Ino, grab her arm."

The older woman sighed, but she couldn't argue with them. Her body was to weak to do anything. The two girls nodded and grabbed their teacher's arms and jumped away with her.

Two green clad ninja ran by.

"Wait! Lee...Gai-sensei!"

"Sakura my flower! What do you need my love?" Lee ran back to his fiancee, still jogging in place.

"We could use your help. People are trapped under rubble."

"Well, we were assigned to help Naruto..." Gai stated.

"Trust me...Naruto can take care of Pein by himself. And Gaara's with him," she replied.

Tsunade, while still weak, gave a chuckle. "She does have a point. Naruto is strong. So is Gaara. They should be enough."

"Alright then. The green beasts of Konoha are at your service." The men said with similar poses and grins. The ladies sweatdropped.

* * *

Sasuke and Kakashi were both in defensive stances. Kakashi had a feeling it wouldn't really matter. It was why his headband was already up and his sharingan active. He had a feeling this would be an occular battle more than a physical one. Tenzou hung back a bit. He knew his chances would be better when the Uchiha was in the middle of a genjutsu battle.

"Sasuke...you wouldn't hurt your last living relative would you?" Madara asked, his voice somewhat sad.

"I killed Itachi. What makes you think I can't kill you?"

"Ah, so you did. But you regret it, don't you?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed to angry slits.

"I don't think that's any of your business."

"Why so angry? I only told you the truth of things."

"Not the whole truth. There were omissions."

"Such as?"

Sasuke scoffed. He refused to be baited. "I don't need to explain them to you. You already know." He flashed through handsigns and took a deep breath while Kakashi disappeared. "Goukakyuu no Jutsu."

A huge fireball blew towards Madara, who chuckled in amusement at the well known technique. "If this is all you've got young one, you won't last very long."

The sound of electricity caused his eyes to go wide.

"Raikiri!"

The fire cleared just in time for the Akatsuki leader to see Kakashi speeding toward him with his hand coated in lightning. Madara smirked as the attack went through him.

"Foolish. Your attacks won't work on me, Kakashi."

Then he sunk into the ground to avoid Sasuke's Kusanagi, which came down right where he was standing.

He chuckled as he rose out of the ground far from both of them. "A sneak attack eh? Sma-" He was interrupted by wood twisting around his body.

Sasuke sped forward, his blade coated with lightning chakra and thrust it into Madara's gut. Madara looked down at the blade, then looked up at its wielder.

"You know, that would've hurt a normal person." Then he disappeared. Sasuke's eyes widened. 'A clone?' "Nice try Sasuke." The man appeared, this time with his mangekyou sharingan. "I suggest you fight me seriously from now on. I will no longer hold back."

* * *

Suigetsu swung his blade with all of his power only for it to be stopped by the scales of samehada. Kisame grinned.

"Those weak swings of yours won't beat me you pathetic wanna be swordsman."

"Che...I was just testing you to see if someone as old as you could keep up." He ducked as a swing went over his head, so close, he lost a few hairs.

"Old! Who are you calling old? I'll have you know I'm only 32 brat."

The shark nin jumped back as the cleaver came a bit too close for comfort. He thrust forward toward Suigetsu's chest.

The younger nin whistled sarcastically while he spun and blocked what could've been a killing blow.

"Are you sure you shouldn't be using that sword of yours as a cane? Pretty soon you'll need a senior discount."

"That won't happen until long after you're underground."

Kisame swung low this time and Suigetsu flipped out of the way and then glared at his opponent. He knew the shark nin was toying with him and it was pissing him off.

"Dammit you shark, fight me seriously!"

Kisame laughed loudly.

"Boy, if I fight you seriously, you'll be dead before you can take a swing at me."

"SHUT UP!" He yelled and ran at him, cleaver ready to slice again.

* * *

Three paths. Six shinobi.

At some unknown signal, all three paths disappeared.

"What the-" Kankuro began.

Two appeared in front of the damaged bodies and grabbed them before the shinobi could take a step.

"Shit!" Kiba growled.

"Quick! Before they can be revived." Neji said as he ran forward. The last one appeared in front of Neji.

"Kiba, attack that one." Shibi pointed to the bulky path. "I have a plan."

Kiba flashed a feral grin. "No problem! I've been itching for a good fight. Akamaru, let's do this!" He threw off his cloak while the large dog transformed. Two Kiba's stood next to each other. "Alright, let's go. Gatsuuga!" The two ran forward and spun into their favored jutsu and sped toward the path. A moment before impact, the two felt the sensation of slamming against a wall. Both of them fell to the ground, one Kiba transformed back into Akamaru after its chakra was drawn away.

"What the hell was that?" Kiba asked.

"This path absorbs chakra." Shibi replied from his position. He still hadn't moved. At least not according to any human eyes. "Keep attacking any way you can. I need you to keep him focused on you."

"Right. Come on Akamaru." The dog growled and they ran forward again.

**xxx**

"Oh kami! What is that?" Temari gasped as she saw what looked to be a giant head surrounded by flames rising up from the ground.

"Temari! Don't let that thing get hold of the dead path." Tenten yelled. She pulled out two scrolls and unleashed them. She jumped into the air as the smoke appeared in the shape of two menacing dragons and the scrolls twisted in the air. "Soshoryu!" Weapons of all sorts dived toward the path and the damaged path he was carrying.

Kankuro's Sasori puppet flew toward the path at the same time. "Akahigi Kiki Sankaku!" he yelled. The head opened and blades flew out of it on a direct collision course with the path.

The path took every hit. The blades slashed and embedded themselves in the skin. It felt no pain, though, as he was being pummeled and he continued toward the summons. Then the last triangular blades hit his skin and exploded, slowing the path down even more.

"Now sis!" he yelled. Temari opened her fan and planted her feet. Then she swung it mightily. "Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" Gale force winds formed into a tornado and lifted the two paths high into the air where blades of wind slashed the two from all directions. The winds soon abated and the bodies began to fall.

"Out of the way guys!" Tenten yelled as she hurled two kunai grenades at the falling paths. Upon impact, they exploded and shrapnel landed all over the paths. By the time the two bodies slammed to the ground, there wasn't much left to recognize them by. "Yes! One more down." She turned to her right, ready to help her teammate if he needed it.

Neji spun out of the way of the path's attack and landed another strike with gentle fist. From the beginning, he concentrated his strikes on the chakra receivers. With each strike, he was slowly but surely nullifying the effects of the receivers. The path staggered back. Neji was fast and without the extra sight of the path's companions, he was struggling to keep up with the Hyuuga prodigy.

Once Neji took his final stance, Tenten knew it was the end.

"You are within the path of my hakke." Neji stated. "Hakke Hyaku Nijuhachi Sho! Two hands!"

His hands flew out as he called his strikes until...

"One hundred and twenty-eight!"

There was no chance for that last path of Pein. Not only had Neji closed off the path's chakra, he had also shut down every one of the chakra receivers in his body. The path swayed for a moment before it fell to the ground, essentially paralyzed. Neji breathed hard as he gestured to his teammate. Tenten threw her last stash of kunai with explosives attached. They landed on and all around the path's body and exploded on impact, killing the path.

**xxx**

Kiba landed on his back. "Oof! Damn, that hurt." Akamaru whined his agreement.

"You can stop now. I am ready." Shibi called out.

"Finally! I hope whatever you're planning works. I can't get near him."

The Aburame raised his hands and only said one word. "Spread." Suddenly, bugs began to crawl out of the path's clothes. "Swarm," he whispered and within seconds the insects covered every inch of the path's body. Kiba raised a fist in the air with a grin. He already knew the outcome of the clan technique since Shino was his teammate. The bugs wouldn't move until there wasn't anything left of the path.

"Sweet! How did you get through when I couldn't?" he asked.

"You were the perfect distraction. While he was focused on you, I released my kikachu. He never noticed them."

Some minutes later a few thumps were heard. And then the bugs were flying back toward their host. Akamaru trotted over and sniffed at the spot where the metal chakra receivers landed.

The rest of the group walked up. Kankuro slapped Kiba on the back. Temari grinned at Tenten.

"We did it!"

"Yep, we were fortunate to be able to find out their weaknesses before hand." Tenten replied.

"It shows even something seemingly unbeatable has a weakness. Now let's hope the rest fare just as well." Neji stated.

* * *

Konan landed in front of a huge tree. It didn't take long to reach her destination since she knew exactly where it was hidden. No one would be able to find them. With a wave of her hand, the paper shifted until there was an opening large enough for her to walk through. At the far end Nagato sat inside his machine feeding his chakra to the paths. Konan loved her friend dearly, but there were times it was hard to look at him. He was killing himself.

"Why Nagato? You didn't have to do that."

"I did what I had to."

"Why do you insist on this madness?"

"Because this is my justice."

It was silent after that. Soon they both began to feel the change in the chakra patterns. One by one the chakra shifted and returned to it's owner until eventually...

"Only one is left." She said softly.

"Yahiko. It is all I need."

"But Nagato-"

"As long as I live, I will not let Yahiko's, no, our dream die."

"But what if we lose him too?" Konan sounded a bit desperate. Of course, she knew Yahiko was gone. He'd been gone for a long time. While her head knew that, deep in her heart she'd never acknowledged it. As long as the spirit of Yahiko was with them, in the form of Pein, he was alive. But if he was gone...truly gone...

"We won't."

* * *

"Well, this will be troublesome."

"You say that about everything Shikamaru." Chouji replied to the shadow ninja.

"I've got to agree with him though. We don't know anything about this oversized plant guy." Genma added. "Hell, we don't even know where he is."

"I do." Shino replied softly. The four looked at him in amazement. "My kikachu told me."

"Great. Now how do we get him to appear?"

Shino never answered. He didn't have to. Zetsu slowly appeared from the tree. The white side was grimacing as he scratched.

"EEW! These stupid bugs itch. And they're biting me!"

"Ignore them. We have more important things to worry about since you were stupid enough to expose us."

"Me! You're part of me, you know."

"It wasn't my idea to jump out of the tree in full view of our enemies."

"But it itches!"

He dived out of the way of the senbon flying toward him. Then he smirked at the nin and sunk into the ground.

"Damn. Now what?" Genma asked. All four Konoha nin stood on alert.

"Troublesome..."

"There." Shino pointed at a spot. Shikamaru's eyes narrowed at the spot. Seconds later, Zetsu rose out of the ground and stood before them. The black side seemed to glare at them, while the white side looked to be smirking.

"Oh goody...fresh meat. I wonder if they'll be tasty."

"Quit thinking with your stomach. There are more important things to take care of at the moment."

"Like them? They're weaklings."

"Our skills are not in fighting, remember? Do not underestimate them. Look at what happened to Pein."

"True."

"You know...that's just weird." Genma grimaced at the two sides talking to each other.

"Hey! Who are you calling weird?"

"Shut up and concentrate on the job."

"Right." Vines suddenly appeared out of the ground and wrapped around the four nin's legs.

Shikamaru went through hand signs. "Kagemane no-"

"Ah ah ah..." Vines shifted up and twisted around Shikamaru's arms. "I know all about the Nara clan. You won't catch me with your shadows." He also bound the others.

"Bubun baika no jutsu." Chouji's right arm grew and broke the vine and slammed down on the plant man.

"Ha! You missed." The white side taunted as his head poked out of a tree. Chouji released the full technique and his whole body grew, breaking the vines apart with his limbs' expansion. He swung his hand toward the tree. It splintered apart from the force. But it still missed the akatsuki nin. In the meantime, Chouji freed everyone.

"Shino, where?" Shikamaru asked. The bug user stood still for a moment while he listened to his kikachu.

"There in two seconds." He pointed to a spot to their left. Shikamaru got down on one knee, a look of concentration on his face. A second later Zetsu appeared.

"Kagemane no jutsu."

The nin stopped moving.

"You got him Shika!" Chouji said.

"Not quite." They glanced behind them and saw the black side.

"What the hell?" Genma exclaimed. "How'd they do that?"

Zetsu's black half threw a volley of shuriken at Shikamaru who had no choice but to release the jutsu.

"Swarm." Shino spoke. A buzz filled the air as hundreds of bugs flew through the air directly toward the white half as soon as Shikamaru's jutsu released. The white Zetsu had no chance to get away and was swarmed by the bugs.

The black half's eyes narrowed. "Idiot...he would get caught." He knew the other half had no chance and even he wasn't sure what would happen if half of him died. He threw every weapon he had toward the Aburame, hoping to somehow distract him or the bugs. Two senbon flew at him and he leaned back away from the projectiles, one senbon missing his face by millimeters.

"Kage nui no jutsu." Zetsu's eyes went wide as shadow needles went through him and held him fast. Shikamaru smirked. "Success. Your turn Genma."

"Right." He shot the rest of the specially poisoned senbon, which hit right where he wanted them to. The affects of the poison were seen immediately. The akatsuki member shook and writhed as the poison took affect. Sweat appeared on his face and soon he started to cough. Blood expelled from his mouth with the coughs. Then the leaf-like appendages began to shrink and turn black. Soon after that, the nin went still.

"Shino." Genma looked over at the bug nin, who nodded and sent a few kikachu toward the black body. A few seconds later he gave a nod.

"He is dead."

"Troublesome...we should probably head into the village and help." Shikamaru said with a sigh.

"Hey lazy boy!" He turned to see Temari and the rest of their group walking over. "I see you finished your opponent off."

"I suppose."

"Just so you know, that girl I was supposed to fight disappeared."

"Troublesome. From what I've seen, she sticks close to the Peins. I bet she's gone to help the one who's behind them."

"Should we go help them?" Neji asked. "I don't think they're prepared to handle two members of Akatsuki."

"Hm...Kiba, you can track the group down right?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Then you, Temari and Kankuro go. The rest of us will do what we can to help here."

* * *

Sand swirled around near Naruto and slowly formed into the Kazekage.

"He is no match for me any longer." Pein remarked.

Gaara stared impassively with his arms crossed over his chest. "Because I no longer have a demon? Don't understimate my power."

"Your power is nothing compared to my own." Pein turned back to Naruto. "As a fellow pupil, we should be able to understand each other. Our sensei longed for peace. That is all I want to achieve." Naruto growled.

"Che...don't make me laugh! You talk of peace and yet you killed Jiraiya who wanted peace."

"He opposed us."

"Of course he did. And I can understand why. I've seen firsthand your screwed up methods to achieve peace. You've attempted to destroy Konoha not once, but twice just to get to me. I can live with that, though, because at least this is a ninja village that can defend itself. However, you went to a defenseless village and wiped it out. They never bothered anyone. They weren't ninja. Their only supposed offense was that they gave me somewhere to stay. You destroyed a village that never did anything to you and for that I will never forgive you. If this is your plan to achieve peace then I don't want it."

"You're a Konoha ninja. You know nothing of peace. But your death will lead to it. Come quietly and I might spare what's left of this place."

Naruto's answer was a clone erupting out of the ground headed for the path's face. Somehow Pein was able to lean back to avoid it. "Now Gaara!"

The Kazekage raised his arm as the sand already near Pein swiftly encased his body. Then he squeezed his hand into a fist. "Sabaku kyuu."

Pein felt the crushing pressure, yet felt no pain. "Shinra Tensai." The sand exploded away from the path and sent the particles flying everywhere. Instantly he was in Gaara's face and thrust his chakra blade toward the heart of the Kazekage. Sand flew up to protect him. Naruto took the opportunity and ran up behind Pein.

"Rasengan!"

Pein turned and grabbed his wrist just before impact and swung the chakra blade. Naruto grabbed it and twisted his body into the air, throwing a kick at Pein's head. Pein's eyes widened. He knew he could not avoid the hit without letting go, so he did and jumped back, just avoiding the foot. Immediately, he was bombarded by sand formed into rocks. He repelled the attack and the rocks exploded on impact.

"Dammit!" Naruto yelled. "We can't even touch him."

"It is useless. You cannot defeat a god. You will never understand what I am trying to achieve. It's something even Jiraiya could not hope to do. Through justice I will bring peace. You are the last piece I need to achieve it."

It started as a chuckle and grew until Naruto was laughing. "You've gotta be kidding me. Justice? Peace? You say you were his student, but you know nothing about Jiraiya! Your so called justice involves wiping out the nations that don't agree with you. That's not peace. That's just a forced illusion of it. And that is not what Jiraiya wanted."

"Even if it is a forced peace, it is better than this continuous chain of hatred. It must end. So I will break that chain." He raised a hand and suddenly Naruto was flying toward Pein.

"AHHHH!" Naruto hoped to gain some kind of leverage. But it was impossible while flying through the air. He was on the verge of being impaled when he slammed against a wall of sand. "Ow! That hurt..." he mumbled. But he was glad to be no longer hurtling forward. The sand shifted and circled his waist then yanked him back to a safer position. "Thanks Gaara."

The red head nodded. Naruto was about to launch another attack when Gaara stopped him with hand.

"I think I get it now." Gaara calmly stated. Naruto looked over and raised a brow. "Just follow my lead and attack." Without waiting for an answer, sand swirled around him for a moment before it shot toward the path. It looked to slam against a barrier before it flew outward.

Naruto started going through hand signs as soon as the sand went flying. "Kazekiri," he called and a large blade of wind went flying toward the path. Pein flipped away just before it hit.

"Did you see it?" Gaara asked.

"See what?"

"He repelled my attack but, only seconds later, he dodged yours. The same was true when he repelled my sabaku kyuu but grabbed you to avoid the rasengan."

Naruto thought for a moment before nodding in understanding. He figured out what Gaara meant. "Both times we attacked right after each other!"

"Yes. There must be a time limit between successive usage of that technique."

"Alright then we-" Naruto stopped when he felt a sudden pulse of chakra. A few seconds later, it happened again. "What the..."

"Konoha ninja are more impressive than I thought." Pein stated. "No matter...your companions may have destroyed the others, but because I gain their chakra, I am now stronger than all of them combined. You should just give up."

"As if we would just give up."

"I am god-"

Naruto rolled his eyes and interrupted the path with a rant of his own.

"Blah blah blah...you know, you talk a whole lot of shit for a god. Just shut up and get on with it, jeez! Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

10 clones of Naruto stood all around Pein. "Kaze no Yaiba!" they all called out. Blades of wind went hurling toward the path from all directions. As expected, the blades were repelled. Gaara was about to attack when Naruto was once again pulled forward.

"Dammit!" Naruto yelled, unable to stop himself from speeding toward Pein, who, once again, had his chakra blade aimed right at him. This time he reached back, grabbed his sword and blocked the blade. The other clones ran forward. "Rasengan!" Pein jumped into the air causing the clones to slam into one another. Naruto dived out of the way. Multiple shuriken of sand flew into the air after Pein, who tried to flip out of the way. However one got him in the back and another in the head. He fell to the ground and landed in a crouch. Before he had a chance to recover, sand spikes surrounded him. The path's eyes went wide.

"Suna raishin!" Electricity sparked and arced toward the path. Pein had no chance with the chakra receivers acting as a lightning rod. Electricity pulsed through him and he convulsed violently. Immediately afterward, Naruto threw six kunai with exploding tags attached.

"I'd step back if I were you Gaara. I put a little extra oomph in the seals on those babies." Naruto admonished as he made a single hand sign. The six tags exploded. When the smoke cleared Pein's body was revealed to be badly burned.

Somewhere outside of Konoha on the highest peak, Nagato's eyes went wide as he felt the final loss. Konan gasped.

Naruto and Gaara both looked down at the dead body.

"I've got to find him."

"Are you sure about this? There's already a group looking for him."

"Yeah. I want to see him. I need to see who this man really is." Naruto replied. Gaara looked at him grimly as the blond grabbed one of the blades.

"He used those to control the paths. He could control you too."

"I won't keep it long. Just to see where he is. The Kyuubi...well, what's left of him...should be able to sense the direction he's in. If I start acting weird though, get it away from me."

"Hn."

Naruto gripped the jagged piece of the chakra blade and slammed it into his shoulder. He hissed at the pain. But within seconds, he could sense it...could sense him. He couldn't see the place, but he could feel it. He could almost smell it. A place high in the mountains. He pulled the piece out and tossed it to the ground. He could already feel his shoulder slowly healing.

"Got it. Let's go." Gaara nodded and began to dissolve into sand. Naruto swiped his blood over a spot between his shoulder blades. Immediately chakra swarmed around him in a rush before calming to a hum. Then he sped off at a speed that rivaled Gaara's.

* * *

The group of Konoha nins, plus Karin sped toward the highest point. The nin-dogs barked a couple of times in succession. The two Inuzukas gave identical feral grins.

"The dogs say they smell something ahead." Tsume informed the group.

"We're near the top. Whatever it is, we'll see it soon." Inoichi stated.

Karin concentrated. "I feel two chakra signatures up ahead. Both of them are powerful."

"Two? I thought it was only one. This may be even more troublesome than we thought." Shikaku grumbled.

**xxx**

Naruto and Gaara were moving at a speed almost unheard of. They were almost to the top.

Then Naruto stopped on a branch and stared. Sand swirled and landed on the branch and formed into the Kazekage.

"What's wrong?"

"Look there and tell me what you see." Naruto replied and pointed upwards toward the top of the cliff. Gaara stared at the place the finger directed.

"A tree. Your point."

"That's one huge tree, don't you think? Taller than every other tree in this forest."

Gaara raised a non-existent brow. "You think that's what we're looking for."

"It has to be. Shika said the highest point. Come on. Let's go."

**xxx**

"Others are coming."

"Let them. They won't be able to stop me." Nagato replied to Konan's words.

"Nagato, you said the same earlier and now the six are gone." She said the words sadly. Her grief over the final loss of her friend could not be hidden.

"But I have their power."

"You are still weakened though." She replied, her voice and face easily conveying her concern for the only friend she had left. She wanted him to listen to reason. To back off and retreat until another opportunity. But deep down she knew...there was no other opportunity. This was their last chance.

"It doesn't matter. It will be enough."

xxx

**Notes:** (aka Glossary...some techniques by now should be obvious and so I'm not putting them in this list)

Shinra Tensei - Divine Judgement

Sabaku Sousou - Desert Funeral

Seishinryoku - Naruto's sword. Named Strength of Spirit (or spiritual strength...take your pick)

Goukakyuu no Jutsu - Great Fireball Technique

Raikiri - Lightning Cutter

Gatsuuga - Dual Piercing Fang

Soshoryu - Twin Rising Dragons

Akahigi: Kiki Sankaku - Red Secret Technique: Machine Triangles

Kamaitachi no Jutsu - Cutting Whirlwind

Hakke Hyaku Nijuhachi Sho - Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms

Bubun baika no jutsu - Partial Multi-size Technique

Kagemane no jutsu - Shadow Imitation Technique

Kage nui no jutsu - Shadow Sewing Technique

Sabaku kyuu - Desert Coffin

Kazekiri - Wind Cutter

Kaze no Yaiba - Sword of Wind

Suna raishin - Sand Lightning Needles


	32. The Final Battle

**a/n: **I can't believe I finally, FINALLY finished this chapter! After 9 long months. Gotta love finding inspiration at the weirdest times. For months this chapter has had the same 3000 words done. Yesterday I suddenly finished the entire chapter. I apologize for the very long wait and I hope all of my readers still actually care enough about this story to see how it all ends. I think I've got it figured out. In fact, I'm about to start on the next chapter as soon I post this. So I can just about guarantee it won't be 9 weeks, let alone 9 months, before the next chapter is posted. I also apologize for everyone who will have to read the last few chapters just to remember what happened. I had to do it just so I could finish this chapter.

I've got a bit of a surprise for certain fans. I know there's never been an explanation for that particular instance in the manga, but I hope my idea at least makes some sense. Ugh! Fight scenes leave me pulling my hair out when it comes to writing them. Some parts I end up hating, others I end up liking. I'd say this time it's about 50/50. Some parts I absolutely love. Other parts I struggled just to get it to work. I can't say I'm completely satisfied with it, but I'm too lazy to do anything else with it. So, I hope you enjoy the chapter. I tried my best with the fighting. And please review and let me know what you think of it. Much love to all of you!

**Warning: **Possible spoilers for future manga chapters...who knows...

* * *

**Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 30 – The Final Battle**

**

* * *

Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

**x x x**

The nin dogs sniffed around a bit upon landing and then barked insistently. Tsume pointed at the giant tree that towered over them.

"Looks like this is the place."

Inoichi stared for a moment at the tree, then walked closer and touched the 'bark'. His eyes widened at the feeling of chakra thrumming through the paper-like substance. "This is no ordinary tree. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's some form of paper."

Shikaku lazily walked forward to stand next to his teammate and sighed. "Troublesome. The Aburame's encountered a woman who's jutsu involved paper. She was strong enough to withstand their attacks and retaliate with her own."

"Well, are we going to just stand here or are we going to do something?" Hana growled impatiently.

Before Inoichi could respond, a stiff wind blew and a few grains of sand stirred in the air with it, lightly hitting their faces. Meanwhile, the grains of sand continued to multiply. Within seconds, Naruto appeared and the sand reformed into the Kazekage.

"Naruto!" The group exclaimed. "If you're here, does that mean Akatsuki has been defeated?"

"I don't know about the others. All the paths of Pein have been destroyed. Madara is still alive though." Naruto frowned as he thought briefly of Sasuke still taking on Madara. But he quickly shook the negative thoughts away. Sasuke was strong. And he had Kakashi and Yamato with him. He would be fine. He moved closer and stared at the giant tree for a moment. He didn't even have to touch the surface to know there was chakra running through it. He could also feel the two chakra signatures inside of it. He turned to the group with his eyes narrowed. "Stand guard. I'm going in alone."

"What? Are you insane? You can't go alone." Tsume yelled.

"You don't even know what you'll be facing. That's suicide!" Hana agreed.

"They're right. Why in the world would you want to go in alone when you have all of us here to help you?" Inoichi asked.

"I know who I'm facing. Two people. One I assume is the paper girl. The other is most likely the true Pein. And I'm going alone because I need to talk to him first. I need to find out something."

"That man wants you as a sacrifice. He'll sooner kill you than answer any question of yours." Naruto shrugged.

"Yeah, I know. And I won't let it come to that. But I have to at least try. I have to know."

"Know what?"

Naruto shook his head, purposely ignoring the question, and walked toward the tree. At the last moment he looked back. He and Gaara stared at each other for a long moment of silent communication before the red head nodded. The blond reached out and ripped a hole in the 'bark' and passed through the paper, allowing it to close behind him. Inoichi yelled after him, but Shikaku held him back.

"Let him go. He obviously has a plan."

"But Shi-"

"Yeah...I know. Troublesome..."

Gaara stood unmoving on the sidelines near a tree. He flicked his eyes toward the group. The Kazekage had always been a man of few words. He wasn't the type to motivate or to reassure...that was for people like Naruto. Still, he felt the need to offer up something to the worried group.

"He'll be fine."

Everyone's eyes turned away from the paper tree and landed on him. Finally, Inoichi spoke the thoughts of the entire group.

"He better be."

* * *

Sasuke stood panting on one side. Madara was across from him. The younger Uchiha was slightly unnerved by the fact that the oldest living Uchiha didn't seem at all winded.

"You know Sasuke, I'm disappointed. You're an Uchiha. I'm an Uchiha. We Uchiha should stick together."

As much as Sasuke had no desire to hear the traitor talk, he was thankful for the chance to catch his breath.

"Tch...You weren't saying that when you helped slaughter them," he growled.

"That was different. You see, you aren't like them. They were weak. So very weak. In the old days, our clan was powerful. You should've seen us. We were the elite. We couldn't be defeated. Even those damn Senju couldn't beat us. They could only match us. They fought us. We fought them. Occasionally we fought a mutual threat together. Who knows...maybe that was where the asinine idea to finally come together and end our fighting began. That was the Uchiha clan's biggest mistake. They should never have agreed to a truce. That was our downfall. Those fools wouldn't listen to me. Instead, they turned their back on me. Me! Their most powerful warrior. One of their own. That was the beginning of the end for them...they just didn't know it yet. I watched the clan from afar as they slowly became a weak shell of themselves. It was the Senju's plan from the very beginning. Hashirama used his position as a way to suppress the Uchiha. Eventually the entire clan was ostracized and relegated to the edges of Konoha. By the time those fools finally figured out the truth of things, it was too late. By then, the clan was run by pathetic fools who couldn't have pulled off a coup no matter how much they planned. They deserved to die! In my eyes, the clan was long dead!"

"They did not deserve to die like that!" Sasuke yelled as he ran forward, without thought, aiming his sword at Madara's heart. Madara watched impassively as the blade slid harmlessly through him. Then he grabbed the wrist and forcibly bent it back at an odd angle, causing Sasuke to scream out in pain. His other hand slapped over Sasuke's face and pushed him backwards with enough force to push him to the ground. From on top of the younger Uchiha, Madara glared.

"You should be silent when your elders are talking."

"Fuck you!" Sasuke yelled, but it was muffled by the hand over his mouth.

"Such foul language boy. Your parents should have taught you better." The man smirked. "Oh, that's right...they weren't there!" Sasuke kicked out and squirmed, trying to free himself.

From the sidelines, Yamato was already flashing through hand signs, ready to do whatever he could to get Sasuke out of the vulnerable position. He knew that Sasuke was allowing his anger to get the best of him and wasn't thinking straight.

"No, wait!" Kakashi put out a hand to stop his teammate. "Stand back."

Kakashi took a deep breath and let it out. What he was about to do was risky. He wasn't even sure it would work on Madara at all considering he was already a time-space specialist. He wasn't even sure if he was powerful enough. The last time he used it, he woke up many days later in the hospital so weak he couldn't move and with an eye throbbing in almost unbearable pain.

Hell, he could even die...

But Sasuke couldn't possibly win alone. At this point, he wasn't really sure if the two of them with Yamato backing them up could win at all. They had done all the research they could, but they still had underestimated the oldest Uchiha. There seemed to be no limit to his power and there didn't seem to be any real way to stop him.

Right now he just hoped that the man would be so preoccupied with baiting Sasuke that he wouldn't have a chance to counter, because this was all he could do. And afterward he would pray to any god that would listen to a man like him that maybe, just maybe, Konoha would still be standing when this battle was all over.

He glanced one last time at his companion. "Protect Sasuke. Don't let him get sucked in."

Yamato, better known as Tenzou to his ex-ANBU teammate, gave Kakashi a determined nod and already had his hands in position to run through signs the moment he needed to.

Kakashi closed his eye for a moment and steeled himself for the pain he knew would come. His eye opened and the altered form of the sharingan spun. And then he allowed his eye to shift into the jutsu.

"**Kamui!**"

* * *

"So, we finally meet face to face, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto took a moment to allow his eyesight to adjust to the darkened conditions. His eyes first took in the sight of the blue haired woman and then zeroed in on the red-haired man next to her hooked up to a huge machine. The man looked to be relatively young, and yet he seemed ages older. His body looked to be wasting away. It made the machine look like it was sucking the life out of the man.

"So...you're the real one. The one called Nagato."

The red head's ringed eyes raised to meet Naruto's blue ones.

"Yes. So...are you here to try and kill me? I won't allow it."

Naruto rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Why? Because you're a 'god?' Well, I've got news for you. You're no god of mine. I don't believe in you and I sure as hell won't hold back from killing you if I have to."

Nagato chuckled. "You think I don't know anything about you? Killing is not your ninja way. You couldn't kill me."

"Whatever you know about me is old news. I'm not the naive child I used to be. Killing indiscriminately may not be my ninja way, but I'm still a ninja. And as such, I'll do whatever it takes to protect my friends. Even if that means killing you."

Nagato was about to reply when Naruto raised a hand.

"However, I'm only here to talk for the moment."

"Hm." Nagato smirked. Naruto narrowed his eyes, but by the time he noticed what was going on, it was too late to get out of the way of the chakra spear that headed straight for him.

It impaled him in the stomach.

Naruto gasped and glared at Nagato, who continued to smirk.

"Don't worry it's not fatal. I wouldn't dare harm the final sacrifice. This is just to control you."

Blue eyes bled to red. "You can't control me." Naruto's voice became deeper with each syllable. "Neither of us will allow it."

Nagato's eyes went wide as the vision of an angry nine-tailed fox appeared behind Naruto. Naruto knew that, while the Kyuubi was no longer the beast it once was, it hated the thought of being controlled more than anything. Naruto unleashed a huge amount of killer intent - partly his own, partly the fox's - and pulled out the spike and tossed it away like it was nothing.

"How..." Konan asked softly as she watched the powerful display. "How can he have such power to resist?" Then her eyes became more alert at the feel of many different chakras surrounding their hideaway. The ninja outside were coming closer, spurred by the spike in chakra.

Naruto moved before she even registered he had. He ran forward, rasengan spinning in his hand and he thrust it toward the rinnegan user.

"Nagato!" Konan yelled and sped toward the two. Just before impact, the spinning ball disintegrated. Naruto's hand was still raised, palm up, close to Nagato's face.

"I could've killed you just now. But then I wouldn't get an answer to my question."

Nagato didn't react outwardly, but inside he was nervous. The blond really would have killed him. There was no doubt. He hadn't been able to collect his slowly dwindling chakra quickly enough to stop the attack.

"Then ask. For this is the only chance you'll have. Konan?" His companion nodded. "Go deal with them."

"Yes Nagato."

* * *

Kakashi could already feel his inherited eye straining with the power of the space manipulation jutsu. From his viewpoint, the world in front of him warped and twisted in a clockwise motion.

Madara looked up in alarm.

"NO!" He growled.

Sasuke took the opportunity to kick him off. "Kakashi, No!"

At the same time, Tenzou formed his last hand sign. "**Jubaku no jutsu!**"

Wood sprouted up from the ground, wrapped around Sasuke and pulled him away from the area of Kakashi's attack. Meanwhile, Madara screamed in agony as the justu pulled him in.

A minute later, Uchiha Madara was gone.

Kakashi's breath came in pants and he collapsed to the ground, much of his chakra spent.

"Kakashi!" Both of his teammates came to his aid.

Therefore neither of them saw time warp again.

A familiar chuckle came from behind them, causing both men to gasp and spin around. Madara slowly morphed into form. He applauded.

"You really didn't think I'd go away so easily did you? I have to admit, I'm slightly impressed. Who would've thought you...someone not of the Uchiha clan...could wield the sharingan so well as to even use the Mangekyou. But, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You were the Fourth Hokage's prized pupil, after all." Suddenly, Kakashi was yanked away from the two ninja and Madara appeared a few hundred feet away with a weakened Kakashi held by the neck. "However, you forgot something important Hatake Kakashi. Time and space mean _nothing _to me. I control it far more easily than you ever could."

He let go of Kakashi's neck and watched him fall to the ground. Sasuke and Tenzou were just about to move when...

"Move and I'll gut him as painfully as possible, right here in front of you." Madara threatened as he pulled a katana and pointed it only scant millimeters from his heart. Then he grinned down at his prey.

"But before I kill you, I think I'll let you in on a little secret, just because you amused me." Madara first smirked at his tense audience, who he knew would not move as long as he held the katana in such a vulnerable spot. Internally he shook his head at his last relative. Sasuke turned out to be just as weak as the rest of the clan - spurred by emotional attachments. Another disappointment. If it were him, he would've run forward and killed the enemy, no matter if his teammate had died in the process. The Uchiha really were lost.

He crouched down over Kakashi's prone body.

"Once upon a time there was a woman by the name of Uzumaki Mito. She was the wife of Hashirama. After our famous battle, she became the first host to cage the nine tailed fox. Upon her death, a new host was found. A girl named Kushina, another Uzumaki. You see, their chakra is unique, which made her perfectly suited to become the next host. She was brought to Konoha. And like most girls, she grew up, eventually fell in love, got married. Then came the pregnancy. But I'm sure you remember that much. You were there after all."

Kakashi's good eye narrowed at the man who hovered over him. Madara chuckled.

"Didn't you ever wonder why her body was never found? She was supposed to be at the hospital in the throws of labor when the Kyuubi came. Well, I guess it's understandable...you wouldn't have had much of a chance to notice under the circumstances. The truth is, you were lied to." He tapped his chin with his free hand and gave the prone nin a mocking smile.

"You know...Konoha has quite a long history of lying to their subjects when the occasion calls for it. But you're a smart one. I'm sure you're already figuring it out in your head. She was never in the hospital. She gave birth in secret, just as they got married in secret. But there was a good reason for it. You see, giving birth is quite a dangerous thing for a jinchuuriki. It's the one time when the seal is at its weakest. If not watched carefully, it could easily break. So your Yondaime was to help keep the seal in tact. But they didn't count on one thing. Me. I killed all the ANBU guards and took their newborn hostage. They had no idea that I could've cared less about the little brat. All I wanted was the kyuubi. The Yondaime was able to save his child, but only by leaving his wife vulnerable for a moment. I took advantage of his momentary absence to disappear with her. And then I took control of the fox when it broke the seal."

Kakashi's eyes went wide.

"Yes, that's right. Now you understand...I was the one that sent the nine-tailed fox to Konoha."

"You...you killed Minato...and Kushina."

"Well...I wish I could take the credit for such a good thing, but I cant. The moment the fox broke the seal, her fate was sealed. And the shinigami took care of your hokage. Which turned out great for me. One less person in my way."

Sasuke, from his position, had heard it all. It's not like Madara was being all that quiet in his gloating. And he was angry. Very angry. He clenched his fists at his sides as the anger flowed through him. For once, it wasn't about his clan being avenged. This time he was angry for Naruto...for what he had lost and for what he had never had, due to this man.

A blue-purple haze began to surround him. He wasn't even aware of it. But his companion was. Tenzou's eyes widened and he took a step back at the dark menacing chakra. The killer intent was almost as intense as the chakra of the nine-tailed fox.

Sasuke shook with the force of his anger. His own relative was singly responsible for the harsh life Naruto had led. At that moment, he hated Madara more than he had ever hated his brother, more than he hated Danzou.

His eyes started burning like he'd never felt before. He didn't remember Tsukiyomi or Amaterasu causing his eyes to burn so much. And his body suddenly felt like it was on fire...from skin to bone.

Madara smirked as he felt the vile chakra. Just maybe the young Uchiha was finally going to get serious. But he didn't acknowledge it yet.

But Kakashi did.

He watched in awe as the bluish purple haze slowly take shape around Sasuke...first ribs, then a full skeleton, muscles, head with horns. Soon came hands with six fingers each. Last came a bow and an arrow.

Because of his knowledge of the Mangekyou Sharingan, he knew exactly what he was seeing.

_'Susanoo...'_

The awe faded though and turned slightly to horror as the huge otherworldly creature brought the arrow to it's bow and pulled.

* * *

The team waiting outside felt the dense evil chakra. It was enough to make all but Gaara shiver.

"That's the fox's chakra!" Tsume exclaimed.

"That's it! I know he said to wait, but we have to help him." Inoichi said.

Gaara glared at the group. "No, we will wait."

"Obviously, something happened for that chakra to appear."

"Naruto has full control of the kyuubi's power. Your involvement will only hinder him."

"Troublesome. Maybe we should stop discussing what to do and move." Shikaku blandly stated. Everyone looked at him strangely, only to see him staring up. They followed the direction he was looking and saw the blue haired 'angel'. White paper wings spreaded and allowed her to hover over them.

Then the wings dissolved into thousands of pieces of paper that hung threateningly above them. With a wave of her hand the paper began raining down on them in the form of shuriken. Everyone pulled out kunai and started deflecting as many projectiles as they could. But there were far too many. They began to get nicked by the sharp edges and trickles of blood flowed from their wounds. Before it got any worse, a wave of sand rose up and protected the group. Gaara stood in front and stared up at the female Akatsuki member.

Konan stared back just as impassively. "That won't hold forever. You no longer have Shukaku's power."

"I don't need its power." Sand sped toward her but she shifted to the side and avoided the attack.

"I can keep dodging, you know."

"Oh yeah? Then dodge this!" Another voice yelled from farther away. A powerful wind swiftly slammed into Konan and hurled her against a tree. After a hard impact, she landed on the ground in a crouch with a slight grimace on her face.

The wind settled down and the team smiled in relief at the latest arrival. With a hand on her hip and a giant fan in her other hand, Temari grinned. Kankuro was next to her with his puppets ready to go to work. Gaara gave the two a slight smile.

"You're late."

* * *

"If you were really Jiraiya's apprentice, then how could you turn out this way? How could you turn your back on him and kill him?" Naruto asked with a glare at Jiraiya's ex-student.

"Jiraiya was an idealist. Eventually, after I had the chance to live and I saw what people were really like, I found his ideas to be nothing but nonsense. There is no such thing as peace in this world. We live in a world full of hate, vengeance, greed. It's an endless cycle that can never be broken no matter what you do. For instance, right now you hate me don't you? You want to kill me. You think that killing me will help bring peace, right? If that's your form of justice, that's fine...you're not a god."

"And you are? That's bullshit! You're no god! You're just as much flesh and blood as I am. If I hit you right now, you would bleed just like any other man. A god wouldn't look like hell like you do...like the life has been sucked out of you. If you were a god, you wouldn't need to use me and all the other tailed beasts power in order to bring your so-called peace. You could do it without us. You're just another man who allowed the things that happened in your life to make you bitter enough to push you to find a new way to achieve your goal. But your way is flawed! You'll destroy millions of innocent lives without a care in the world in order to do what you want and that's why I'll destroy you. Peace won't come with that one act, but it will be a step in the right direction."

"Then I guess we're done talking. Prepare to be my sacrifice Uzumaki Naruto. **Bansho tenin****!**"

Naruto suddenly went flying toward Pein. His arms and legs swung and scrambled for some kind of leverage, but there was none to be hand. He growled and made the sign for his easiest jutsu.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**"

Fifty more Narutos appeared, most of them in front of Naruto sparing him the brunt of the impact. Upon impact with Pein's spears, the clones disappeared. The smoke filled the fake tree, so much that neither of them could see. It turned out to be an advantage for Naruto. When the smoke cleared, Naruto was diving down toward Pein from above with a rasengan.

Pein's eyes went wide. Then he smirked. "**Shinra tensei.**"

The resulting blast blew away what was revealed to be a clone, along with the paper tree. Paper exploded outward and light flooded into what was left of the hideout. The light revealed the real Naruto suddenly appearing in front of him with a chidori.

Pein gasped, but there was no way for him to move as he was tied to the cumbersome machine. Furthermore, his jutsu couldn't be used again for another 3 seconds and, even if he could, he had used up most of his chakra with that shinra tensei. The lightning technique sliced through his chest. Blood spurted from his parted lips and he slumped forward. He wheezed out a chuckle.

"That...was...unexpected."

"I told you Nagato, I'll do whatever I have to in order to protect my friends. Even if it means killing you." Naruto replied solemnly. He hated killing, but for this he made an exception. Pein had destroyed both of his homes. He'd killed his mentor. And Akatsuki destroyed his fellow jinchuuriki. He would not be ashamed of what he did. But he did wish it could've gone differently for both of them. "I'm sorry things had to end this way. I wish you could've truly understood what Jiraiya wanted."

He walked away after that. He didn't wish to see the last moments of someone he could not respect.

Outside, Konan was kneeling on the ground surrounded by ninja. She was unable to dodge everything they threw at her. One poisonous dart from Kankuro's puppet eventually made it through her defenses. She felt the effects immediately and fell to the ground, in pain and weakened. Right before her eyes began to blur, she saw the tree blow apart and her paper blew away.

"Nagato!" She yelled and struggled to move.

"Don't bother." Shikaku muttered. He had her in his shadow and she couldn't move a muscle.

"NO!" She cried out in pain of heart. She had no way of protecting her only friend.

Moments later, she felt the life go out of Nagato and a silent tear slipped down her cheek. Memories of a better time crossed her mind...the days that she, Nagato, and Yahiko spent together as children. They may have been poor, but they were happy together. The voices became background noise to her as she reflected over happier times.

"Should we take her back with us?" Inoichi asked. "She could have some information that may be important."

His question was answered by a wave of sand that engulfed her.

"**Sabaku kyuu.**" Gaara's gravely voice broke the silence. Then he gave the final crushing command to his sand. "**Sabaku sousou.**"

Konan's last thought was that maybe Jiraiya was right after all.

* * *

Madara looked up at his younger relative and the violet chakra creature surrounding him with a wicked smile. It seemed the young Uchiha would finally use his power.

Kakashi, though severely weakened, put all of his chakra into a back kick that the Uchiha wasn't expecting. The man flew backwards. That was all Yamato needed to appear at his teammate's side.

"Can you stand?"

Kakashi gave a weak chuckle. "Not anymore. Pretty much what was left of my chakra went into that kick." Then he sighed and gave the other male a sheepish look. "Uh...you're going to have to carry me."

Yamato didn't bother with responding with words. He only grabbed the man and maneuvered him onto his back.

Sasuke, through the haze of his anger, saw the two and spoke while he could. "Take him back to the village."

Kakashi glared weakly. "No...can't just leave you here."

"You're no help to me now."

"He's right." Yamato noted. "You're too weak to be of any help. And..." He looked up at the being towering over Sasuke, then over at Madara as his dark chakra spiked. "...this is _way_ out of our league."

Kakashi gave Sasuke a long look. "Don't you dare die. Naruto would never forgive me. Or you."

And then Yamato was running back to the village with his teammate.

Madara watched the two as they left. Then he turned to his young relative. "So...You've finally decided to take this seriously."

The bow only aimed the arrow and pulled farther.

"Well, this is how it should be. How it should end. Uchiha vs Uchiha."

The arrow flew true, right toward Madara and Sasuke watched and hoped it would destroy his ancestor. An explosion rocked the landscape as the arrow made impact.

"Impressive, but still not good enough."

Sasuke eyes went wide and he hardly had time to turn around before Madara was on him. With a puff of smoke, he appeared across the clearing, having substituted himself with a log. _'Damn, he's too fast. __He warps away whenever I try to touch him. But that also means he can't attack me. He can only attack when he's solid.' _He needed him to attack. But that was easier said than done. He sped through hand signs and took a deep breath. He knew he only had one chance at this.

"**Gokakyuu no Jutsu.**"

A huge fireball went hurling toward Madara, who looked bored. Just before the flames were upon him, he disappeared and reappeared behind Sasuke.

"I've grown bored of this. You know, I expected more from you. But from what I've seen, you're not even as good as your brother."

He stabbed the younger Uchiha in the back, right through the heart. Sasuke's eyes went wide and he gasped.

Madara was surprised by a pop and a plume of smoke. The sounds of birds chirping filled the air.

"**Chidori!**" Sasuke yelled as his hand flew toward Madara's chest. Madara had no chance to counter and there was a wet squelch as the technique went straight through his chest. He gasped in pain.

Then he smirked.

Sasuke looked confused for a moment. He pulled out his hand to find it clean of blood. He looked up at Madara in horror. Because suddenly he knew.

Madara laughed evilly. "I see you finally understand."

_'It was all an illusion...'_

"When?"

"The moment your companions left. It took you long enough to figure it out. You're really not as gifted as everyone thinks, are you? Or maybe you're just blinded by your emotions. Either way, you figured it out too late."

The illusion wavered and disappeared until they were back in the real clearing. And Sasuke suddenly felt like a fool for not realizing the illusion from the beginning. Sure it looked like the same, but there had been no sounds of battle, no smell of smoke.

He didn't even have a chance to move. Madara's blade stabbed through him. Sasuke flinched in pain and looked down at the blade going through his stomach. This time the pain was real...not just a projection from his clone. And it hurt a whole hell of a lot more. Still, Madara was only toying with him. The elder knew he wouldn't die from a stomach wound...at least not yet.

Sasuke collapsed to the ground and gasped for breath. Madara chuckled above him.

"You should've aligned yourself with me Sasuke. You could've had all the power you ever desired and ruled at my side..."

Sasuke ignored the man's ramblings. He could've laughed because he knew the man was bluffing. Even if he had joined him, he would've been killed off in the end. There was no way he would've been allowed to share his power. Besides, he no longer cared about power. Now that he knew the truth of things, it was the last thing he wanted. That quest for power lost him his family, his brother, and it would've lost him Naruto. He looked up at the older Uchiha and growled as he struggled to his feet and grabbed the only weapon he had left.

"Even if you could gain all the power in the world, I still wouldn't join you."

With that, he flung the three pronged kunai at Madara. Then he unlocked his mind and thought of only one thing.

_'Naruto...'_

**x x x**

Naruto walked out of what was left of the tree and stood next to Gaara. He grimaced at the bloody sand that was slowly making it's way back into the Kazekage's gourd.

"Did you really have to do that?"

Gaara looked at his friend out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes."

"O...k..." Naruto scratched the back of his head. He noticed the other ninja in the clearing looked a bit pale. He could understand why.

"Troublesome. I guess that's that." Shikaku and Inoichi had dealt with the not as gruesome task of taking the head of Pein so it could be brought to the hokage.

"Finally! Let's get the hell out of here and go home." Tsume growled and ran ahead with her nin dog. Her children followed her.

"That woman...I swear..." Inoichi shook his head, but refrained from saying anything else that could possibly get him in trouble. Shikaku chuckled and clapped his hand on his friend's shoulder then walked off down the path toward Konoha.

Naruto laughed and was just beginning to follow with the rest when he stopped suddenly. He went as still as a statue.

Gaara glanced back at his friend. He saw the look on the blond's face and instantly went on alert. "What's wrong?"

Naruto didn't answer. He was in his head. And he was horrified at what he'd just heard and felt.

"Sasuke..." He whispered.

He felt a sudden tug on his soul. His eyes widened, understanding what it was that was pulling him. This time he didn't fight it or force it.

Gaara saw a flash of yellow and Naruto was gone.

**x x x**

Madara chuckled at Sasuke's feeble throw. Obviously with the many years that had gone by, he didn't recognize the distinctive style of the kunai.

"Is that all you've got left young one?" With a bloodthirsty grin he spun into a roundhouse kick and knocked Sasuke back down onto the ground. He pointed the sword at Sasuke's heart. "I guess this is the end then."

Naruto almost felt dizzy when he appeared in the clearing. He saw Madara's back and the sword over his head poised right over his best friend.

Sasuke felt Naruto's sudden presence and gave Madara a smirk.

"**Rasenga****n!**"

Madara felt the jutsu plow into his back and he was propelled into the air, across the clearing, and slammed into a tree.

Naruto didn't even watch. He ran to his friend and knelt beside him. "Sasuke!"

"Not now."

"But-"

"Don't worry about me dobe, I'll be fine! We've got bigger problems-"

"Uzumaki Naruto...It's about time you showed up again." Madara said with a friendly looking smile that didn't fool anyone.

"Like him." Sasuke finished.

Naruto glared at the man who was the catalyst for so many of his problems. "Uchiha Madara."

"You're much more impressive than I thought you would turn out to be boy. Your father would be proud of all that power you have. Too bad you won't be around to use it for much longer. It's time for me to call back my pet. But don't worry, it's for the greater good of everyone."

The blond cringed at being called a boy. "Like hell you're getting anything from me."

"Fool! The kyuubi is _mine_! I control him. You don't have the power to keep him from me."

_'Naruto! Look out for his illusions.' _Sasuke yelled in Naruto's head.

_'Shit!'_ Naruto's eyes went wide as he suddenly remembered what the Uchiha were so good at. But he didn't have time to acknowledge it, because suddenly it was quiet. Too quiet. The clearing was gone and replaced by nothing but stark white._ 'Damn! He got me already.'_ Naruto wasn't about to let a little illusion intimidate him though.

"Madara! Come out here and face me like a man."

He heard a chuckle. Uchiha Madara materialized right in front of him with a smirk. Naruto gasped and jumped backwards.

"You know, I can summon my pet anywhere, right? Even inside of this illusion."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "You're lying."

"Am I?"

**_"Naruto. You need to get out of this." _**Naruto almost jumped at the growling voice inside his head. It had been quite a long time since he'd last heard from his fox tenant. The beast usually hated seeing or talking to him more than ever now that his power was half gone. _**"I may only have four tails left, but if he is able to summon me, he can use me to summon the others. And like hell I'll let that damn Uchiha win!"**_ Kyuubi growled.

_'Yeah, yeah, I know!'_

**_"Then hurry up and get out of this."_**

_'I'm working on it. So shut up you damn furball and let me concentrate!'_

Naruto began trying everything he knew to get him out of the illusion. Damn it all! If only he didn't suck so badly at genjutsu. He watched Madara flash through unfamiliar hand signs and he gulped.

Madara slammed his hands to the floor and a seal appeared all around him.

_'Oh hell, this can't be good.'_

**_"Naruto! You idiot weakling!"_**

_'Dammit Kyuubi! I'm trying. It's not like you're any help here.'_

Madara smirked at the blond, who by now had tried stabbing himself to break the illusion.

"You can't break this genjutsu. And you can't stop this extraction. Just like your mother could not."

"What the hell do you care about my mother?"

The seal activated before he could get his answer. Naruto screamed as he felt pain worse than he'd ever felt before. It wasn't long before he passed out.

What might have been moments or even hours later...he couldn't tell, Naruto found himself inside the sewers of his mind. As he walked through the ankle-deep water, he could hear the kyuubi growling about his stupidity and about his hatred of Uchihas as a whole. On another occasion, he would probably find it humorous. But at this point, he could hardly blame the kyuubi's feelings considering he wasn't finding himself too fond of this particular Uchiha either. Besides, if he was in here, it couldn't mean anything good for the outside world.

He made it into the room that housed the cage of the legendary creature and found himself shocked at what he saw. He expected to see a smaller version of the kyuubi. And that's what he got. But he didn't expect company.

Suddenly the question that had been nagging him since the last time he'd seen Uchiha Itachi was answered. For there he stood, the famed missing nin and ex-Akatsuki member, looking just as he did at their last meeting...complete with Akatsuki cape.

"Hello Naruto-kun."

"I-Itachi? B-But...you're d-dead!"

"I am."

"Then how are you here?" Itachi raised a brow.

"You do remember I gave you my chakra."

"How could I forget?" Naruto muttered. Even if it was an illusion, a crow being stuffed down your throat is no fun.

"This is the way my chakra is manifesting itself to you. I left my chakra with you because, though I always hoped it wouldn't, I knew it would come to this. So I will help you defeat Madara."

"How?"

Itachi walked up to Naruto with a hint of a smile. "Like this." He poked him in the forehead.

**x x x**

Sasuke stared at the two combatants anxiously. Both were standing completely still. He'd always been involved in an illusion, so he had no idea what it looked like to watch from the sidelines, until now. He bit his lip and focused on his best friend. Naruto was stock still. He only knew something was happening when he felt an unfamiliar rush of power. And it scared him that he didn't have a clue what was happening.

"Damn you Naruto! Don't you dare die." He whispered to himself.

**x x x**

Madara stared on gleefully as the seal slowly did it's work. Slowly the red malevolent chakra of the kyuubi began to turn the white space a red hue.

It started so slowly, he didn't even notice.

A hairline crack appeared at the edge of the seal.

Spiderweb cracks slowly and soundlessly traveled across the seal. Then the cracks began to climb the walls.

By the time Madara noticed the change, he was powerless to fix it.

"NO!" He growled.

The illusion, along with the seal, shattered like glass.

Back in the real world, Naruto gasped like he had been holding his breath. He sat up quickly and looked around.

Sasuke gasped when he saw Naruto move. He was even further shocked when the blond turned his head and stared right at him. It wouldn't have so shocking if not for the sharingan eyes staring back at him from orbs that shouldn't have them at all.

"Naruto...?" The blond blinked slowly. Then with the tiniest of smiles he spoke.

"Otouto." It was so softly spoken, Sasuke shouldn't have heard it. But somehow he did. With shaking limbs he got back to his feet again, ignoring the pain from his wound. It couldn't be...it wasn't possible...was it?

The intense stare was suddenly broken and those eyes focused on their enemy. Naruto, through Itachi's sharingan, could see Madara much more clearly. Any move the man made, even something as indiscernable as a twitch, was easily seen. No wonder it was so hard to defeat. He almost wished he could keep the eyes forever.

_'Now what?'_ he asked in his mind. It felt weird to have two other presences in his head. Sure, he was used to the kyuubi. But Itachi was a whole different matter.

_'I don't have much longer now that you're assimilating my chakra. The sharingan will only work for you for a short time. Make wise use of it.'_

_'Right...'_

_'I believe in you Naruto. And...take care of my brother.'_

And then the presence was gone from his mind. Naruto sighed. He was on his own then.

Madara almost shook with his anger. Damn Namikaze Minato and his unbreakable seal! He'd worked for years on a jutsu that would override this particular seal, and it broke like it was child's play. Minato's seal was infinitely better designed than the one that was placed on Kushina. It was a genius creation, designed to block anyone from breaking it. It was also entwined with the jailer, so there was no way to get the kyuubi back even if he killed the boy. The fox would die with him.

_'DAMN YOU MINATO!'_

Madara glared at the Namikaze heir. But he was shocked when he saw the sharingan staring back at him.

_'What? It can't be. How could he...'_

His thoughts went unfinished as Naruto flung multiple kunai at him. Madara laughed as he dodged.

"You won't defeat me with weak skills like that boy."

His eye widened as Naruto disappeared in a flash and appeared behind him with his Seishinryoku.

Madara gasped. _'Minato's technique.'_ Naruto slashed at Madara but the blade went through him without a scratch. Madara jumped backward while Naruto immediately flashed through hand signs, quicker than he normally could.

"**Kazekiri!**"

Wind came slicking toward Madara, but he disappeared before impact. Seconds later, he morphed behind Naruto and struck out at him with his sword. Naruto parried with his own, the sound of steel clashing ringing through the clearing. Both of them jumped away before any damage could be done. In a flash, Naruto was gone again and a punch was flying at the older man's face.

Madara dodged out of the way and then flipped to avoid a spinning kick aimed for his head. _'The brat must've somehow gotten a seal on me. He's as annoying as his father.'_ His eye narrowed at the blond. He hated it, but he was at a disadvantage in this fight. Normally he would just send an opponent to another dimension. It was easier. Unfortunately, he could only get the kyuubi if he kept the brat in this dimension. And it was made even harder by the fact that breaking the seal had failed.

Naruto looked beyond Madara and saw Sasuke getting to his feet. Good.

_'Hey teme. I've got a plan.'_

_'What?'_

_'How much chakra do you have?'_

_'Enough.'_

_'Can you keep him occupied? I'm going to release it.'_

_'Of course.'_

Sasuke pointed his hand toward Madara.

Madara chuckled. "So, you still have a little fight left in you Sasuke? Well then, show me what you've got. Then I'll finish off your friend."

"Hn...**Chidori Eisou.**"

Lightning speared through Madara's arm before he could escape through time and space. Immediately Sasuke dashed ahead toward the oldest Uchiha, his blade coated in lightning.

Naruto meanwhile, sped through hand signs and touched the seal on his back. A huge rush of power went through him. He almost shuddered at the feel of it. It gave him the feeling of being invincible, but he knew he would need every bit of his chakra for what he was about to do. He glanced at his best friend and prayed he would be able to keep Madara busy long enough. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He really really hoped Itachi was right.

"**Mangekyou sharingan.**"

Both Uchihas felt the spike in chakra and they stopped and looked back at the blond. Sasuke gasped. He remembered that day he asked Naruto how powerful he was. He'd never felt anything like this.

Madara frowned. There was no way the boy, even if he was a jinchuuriki, should have that much of his own chakra. It was equivalent to one of the tailed beasts. How was that possible? And then his thoughts derailed at the sight of the eyes spin into the distinctive mangekyou of one man.

_'Itachi. I don't know how you did it but-'_ Madara saw a flash of lightning out of the corner of his eye.

Sasuke attacked Madara with his lightning infused kusanagi. Madara tried to lift his blade, but couldn't. His arm wouldn't cooperate. He growled at the cause of his numb arm and swiftly dodged the blade headed for him.

Naruto did one hand sign with a foxy grin.

"**Kage bunshin no jutsu.**" Two Narutos appeared and jumped away. The two knew what their role was in all of this. So they disappeared and waited. Naruto closed his eyes, took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He opened up a part of himself he never allowed. While he may have forgiven his village over the years, he was still human. And he felt pain. He felt betrayal. He felt hatred. He would just take it and bottle it up deep inside himself and use it to get stronger to protect others. This time, though, he allowed all that anger, pain, and hatred to come to the forefront. It was all the negative feelings he would need to bring about this jutsu. He let it all build until his entire body burned with it and he yelled out in pain.

The result was the huge crimson form of Susanoo that surrounded him.

_(Flashback)_

_Naruto groaned and rubbed his forehead. "What happened?" he muttered._

_A chuckle made him look up. Itachi was kneeling next to him. "I merged my chakra with yours."_

_"Then isn't your job done?"_

_"I won't be here much longer. Only enough time to explain what you'll need to do. You now temporarily have my sharingan. You will use it to completely defeat Madara."_

_"What? How? I don't know anything about how to use it."_

_"You don't have to. You'll have my memories of how to use it._

_"So what the hell am I supposed to do?"_

_"I have a technique by means of the mangekyou. Susanoo. It's one of the most difficult techniques to use because of the immense chakra that's needed. But because you have so much it can be used through you. Killing Madara directly is almost impossible because of his time space jutsu. However, by means of Susanoo I gained the legendary sword Totsuka no Tsurugi. It has the capability to seal anyone it pierces and the victim is sealed in a genjutsu forever inside Susanoo's sake jar."_

_"So lemme get this straight...use Susanoo, pierce Madara, and somehow get him in a jar? And here I thought your involvement in this would make things easier."_

_(End flashback)_

Madara disappeared and reappeared away from Sasuke. He watched as Sasuke's eyes changed, once again, to the mangekyou sharingan.

"**Amaterasu.**"

The black flames flew at him and he just managed to dodge it. He didn't know that it put him right in the path of more danger.

"**Odama r****asengan!**" The yell came from two opposite directions. Madara dodged, but the two would not be thwarted. In a flash, both were right beside the Akatsuki leader and they slammed their giant spinning balls of chakra into him. The two painful direct hits caused him to crash into the crater in the ground created by the large technique.

_'Now dobe!'_ Sasuke yelled in his head.

A powerful arm released the liquid substance from the gourd, which took the shape of a blade. It slashed downward, right into Madara's prone body.

Madara saw what was happening and began to struggle frantically against the sword that was slowly drawing him closer and closer to the end.

"NOOOOOO!" He yelled and struggled harder but the jar that spelled his doom only loomed closer.

With one last scream of anger Uchiha Madara disappeared inside the jug, never to be seen or heard from again.

Sasuke used the last of his chakra to make the black flames disappear.

Naruto groaned and his weakened limbs caused him to collapse to his knees. His chakra pathways burned like fire.

"Hey teme?" he muttered.

Sasuke grunted.

"It's finally over."

"Hn."

Both young men swayed dangerously. Finally they fell to the ground unconscious.

**x x x**

**a/n:** Phew! I'm glad the fighting is over! Below is a looooong glossary of the jutsu used in this chapter. I'm not going to bother with the well known ones.

_**Kamui - **God's majesty - Technique used in conjunction with Kakashi's mangekyou sharingan**  
**_

_**Jubaku no jutsu - **Tree restraint technique**  
**_

_**Bansho tenin - **All Creation Attraction - Pulls opponents toward Pein.**  
**_

_**Shinra tensei - **Divine Judgement - Repels objects or jutsu**  
**_

_**Sabaku Kyuu - **Desert Coffin**  
**_

_**Sabaku Sousou - **Desert Funeral**  
**_

_**Kazekiri - **Wind Cutter**  
**_

_**Chidori Eisou - **One Thousand Birds Sharp Spear**  
**_


	33. Mission Accomplished

**a/n: **Wow, so this is it. The end of my first multi-chapter fic. I'm going to throw all the notes at the beginning so I don't have to put it in at the end.

It's been a very long endeavor. Much longer than I actually planned. There were times when my mind went blank with the story for months and I wondered if I would ever finish. But it's because of all of you that I was able to do it. Thanks so much to all of you for sticking with this fic even when it was on a long hiatus and for all the many reviews that kept me going. I never thought I'd write a story that would become popular enough to garner so much response in terms of reviews and alerts. I'm just happy that so many have enjoyed my writing.

So, to all my non-yaoi fans, enjoy this last chapter. I hope it meets your expectations for an ending. Personally, I kind of liked how I ended it. I hope you do too. For the yaoi fans who have been waiting for me to finally get somewhere with my 2 leading men, be on the lookout for the final part of this fic as a separate story. It should be out soon after this one, considering I've actually had it finished for a good year. I've just tweaked it over time. Anyways, it's entitled **Nothing Left to Hide**. Also, everyone be on the look out for another fic based on this one soon. I started re-reading my fic one day and found some funny bits of plot holes that none of you probably ever noticed, but I just feel like fixing them (in my own fun way, of course) and then adding some things that happened during the time skip between Hiding Behind Masks and Nothing Left to Hide. I already have a few chapters written on my computer, so they'll show up soon enough. So, keep me on your author alerts. ;)

Now on with the show! Hope you don't mind dialogue. There's a lot of it in this chapter.

**Warning: **Possible spoilers for future manga chapters...who knows...

* * *

**Hiding Behind Masks**

**Ch. 31 – Mission Accomplished  
**

* * *

**Thoughts:** _'blah blah'_

**Speaking:** "blah blah"

**x x x**

Naruto groaned as soon as he heard the familiar sound of dripping water.

He was getting really tired of waking up in the sewers of his mind.

He made his customary trek through the ankle-deep water and entered the room that housed his tenant. The cage looked brittle and rusted. Pieces of concrete had fallen. The place looked abandoned. Naruto panicked.

"Kyuubi!" he yelled. Where was that damn fox? He ran toward the crumbling cage. "Kyuubi! Where are you?"

**"Quit yelling you brat! You're hurting my ears."** The voice was not the menacing growl he was used to. Instead it was small, almost like Gamakichi when he was young.

"I thought maybe you were gone." Naruto looked through the bars.

**"Idiot! Where would I go? It's not like this damn seal will let me leave."**

Naruto finally looked down and gasped at what he saw. The kyuubi was the size of a kit and, worse, it was fading. He couldn't help snickering. The fox gave him what would've been an intimidating glare if he was larger.

**"Don't you dare laugh! This is your fault anyway."**

"My fault? How the hell is this my fault?"

**"You and that stupid Uchiha just had to use that chakra monster of a technique didn't you? It used up all of your chakra. I had to start pumping what was left of mine into you so you could survive to complete it."**

"Oh..." Naruto's eyes went wide as the small fox slowly turned transparent before his eyes. "But why? You hate me." Kyubbi scoffed.

**"I hate Uchiha Madara more. I'd willingly give my chakra to make sure he gets what he deserves. Heh, I guess I did."** With what sounded like a grumble, he placed his head on his paws. **"Well brat, I guess you'll finally get what you wanted. This is all that's left of me and I'm fading fast. Soon you'll have all of my chakra and I'll be gone."**

Somewhere deep down, Naruto almost felt sad. While he didn't like the kyuubi being stuck inside him, it wasn't like he completely hated him. They were brought together by circumstances. The demon grudgingly kept him alive. He even motivated him in a sadistic sort of way.

"Kyuubi...I..."

**"Don't get all sentimental on me boy. I still don't like you."**

Naruto glared. "Yeah? Well, the feelings mutual."

The fox demon laughed.

**"Well, if nothing else, it has been entertaining to see the world through your eyes. And you sealed that damn Uchiha. It was almost worth it to see his sorry face when you sealed him."** Naruto grinned. That had been good. The smile faded though as the kyuubi grew further transparent.

**"You'll need to release the other eight, you know. You can do that with my power."**

"How?"

**"How the hell should I know? You're on your own with that boy."** The fox grinned at Naruto's glare. He glanced away for a moment, but looked back and stared in the blue eyes. **"Uzumaki...or should I say _Namikaze_ Naruto... You are much like your father. And now you have more power than anyone. Live a long life brat."**

Naruto nodded. He knew that was as much of an acknowledgment of respect and a goodbye as he would get from the kyuubi. He watched the fox fade away entirely until there was nothing left. He respected it enough to see the end of it's existence.

The seal burst into flames and in seconds the paper was completely engulfed. Black particles floated to the ground and the cage disappeared.

With one last glance at the room, he turned away.

**x x x**

Naruto opened his eyes to a very familiar sight. He groaned.

"I hate hospitals," he muttered.

A moment later the door opened and the quiet room became a hive of activity.

"Baka! You didn't even want to be there."

"But I still got the job done didn't I?"

"Only because Iruka-sensei forced you to."

"Shut up Moegi!"

"You guys are so funny!"

"Ha! I knew we'd win you over Aya."

"You guys are too loud." Naruto croaked.

The four teens eyes went wide.

"Ru! You're finally awake!" Aya hugged Naruto tightly.

"Who could possibly sleep with all that racket." Naruto muttered.

"We weren't that loud nii-chan." Konohamaru grumbled. Moegi elbowed him in the side.

"Yes we were. I'm glad you're awake Naruto nii-chan." She said with a smile.

"Yeah, you've been asleep for a week." Udon added.

Aya stood up and gave Naruto a smile. "I'm so glad you're awake. Everyone's been worried sick." She brought a glass of water to his face. "Drink." Naruto sipped as directed and gave her the glass back. "But Sakura said you would be fine, that you were too stubborn to die. Tsunade-sensei will probably be here any second."

"Great..." he muttered. He knew he was going to get an ear full from her. "She's going to kill me."

"Nah, she'll just hurt you severely." Another voice said from the doorway. Naruto turned his head and smiled at the sight of his best friend.

"Sasuke!"

"About time you woke up dobe. What took you so long? I woke up 3 days ago."

"Shut up teme."

"You shut up brat!" All of them turned at the voice of the Godaime Hokage. Naruto cringed as she zeroed in on him. "You have a whole lot of explaining to do. I swear brat, you're trying to give me a heart attack. Are you deliberately trying to kill me with the stunts you pull?"

"Uh...sorry?"

"Kami! You drive me to drink!"

"Oi! Don't blame your alcoholism on me. You were abusing that long before I came along." Tsunade glared.

"Quiet! Your elders are speaking."

"Oh, so you're finally admitting that you're old?" Naruto retorted.

Tsunade growled and an evil aura settled around her. "_NA-RU-TO_..."

Naruto squeaked and slid back on the bed as far as he could and curled up into a little ball. "I'm sorry okay? Shutting up now."

"Good." The aura faded away and the hokage smiled almost sweetly. That scared Naruto even more. Sasuke saw it and took precautionary measures by backing up as far as he could, hoping the woman would forget he was even there.

"Now, as I said, you have some serious explaining to do."

"And you want to do this now? Uh, can I at least get out of this," he pulled at the hospital gown with distaste, "take a shower and put on some real clothes? Besides, I'm starving for some ramen right now."

"Naruto..." she growled.

"Come on baa-chan! I haven't eaten in five days. And it's not like I need to stay here. You know I'm healed already." He stood up and jumped around crazily. "See? I'm fine."

"That's debatable." Sasuke muttered. Naruto glared and gave him the finger.

"Did someone say ramen?"

Everyone looked to the doorway where Iruka stood with a bag in his hand. Naruto smiled

"Iruka-sensei! Please tell me that's what I think it is."

"That depends on what you think it is." Iruka chuckled and dropped the bag on the tray and ruffled the blond head. "A little birdie told me you were finally awake. And there's no way your appetite would be satisfied by the bland hospital food."

"Awesome! Thanks!" Naruto sat back on the bed and ripped apart the bag and opened the carton. One whiff of the miso broth brought a blissful smile to the blond's face. "Ah Ichiraku ramen, how I missed you."

Tsunade facepalmed while Sasuke shook his head and rolled his eyes. The younger teens giggled and Iruka just smiled. Their Naruto was back in Konoha and back to normal. After a few minutes of letting Naruto eat, Tsunade growled.

"Can I get some answers now?"

"Answers to what?" A voice said from the window.

"Kakashi..." Tsunade growled. "Is it impossible for you to come through a door like a normal person?"

"But I'm not normal...I'm a ninja." He jumped inside and into a crouch just as a random object went flying over his head and out the window, courtesy of the sannin. With a chuckle he stood and waved at his former student. "Yo! Glad to see you're alright."

Naruto smiled as he finished the last of his ramen and leaned back against the pillows again. "Ahh, that hit the spot."

"Good, then can we get on with it? I don't have all day."

"Yeah! I wanna hear how nii-chan kicked ass!" Konohamaru said with a pump of his fist in the air. Unfortunately, it brought the attention to him and his teammates.

"Why are you still here? All you brats get going. This is official business."

"Aww...but-"

"Now! You can visit him later. Aya, go find Sakura for your assignment." Her tone didn't leave room for argument. The authoritative tone had Aya, Moegi and Udon already nearing the door. Konohamaru was the only one still arguing. She cracked her knuckles loud enough for the whole room to hear and glared at him with such ferocity that his mouth shut in the middle of an argument.

"Right...see you later nii-chan." He ran out with his scarf trailing behind him. The door closed and Tsunade sighed in relief.

"Finally!"

The door opened once more revealing Neji and Shikamaru. Tsunade cursed everyone to hell. Neji noticed the company and stopped. "Oh, are we interrupting something?" Tsunade sighed and slumped. Was it too hard to have just a moment of privacy?

"Yes, you are...But you're not the first. However you will be the last. Lock the door."

Shikamaru raised a brow at the dangerous tone the hokage used. He closed the door and found a spot far away from the woman's wrath. "Troublesome..." he muttered.

"Now," at the tone, Naruto sat a little straighter, "what the hell happened out there? What happened to Madara? And what in the world was that insane chakra?"

Naruto and Sasuke glanced at each other. Sasuke raised a brow. Naruto shrugged.

"Madara's gone...for good," Sasuke replied. Tsunade raised a brow.

"Don't feel insulted if I don't believe you. Last time there was no body, he turned out to be alive for the past hundred years." Naruto grinned while Sasuke smirked in response.

"Oh don't worry. There's no coming back from where he's gone." Naruto assured her.

Tsunade crossed her arms and glared at Naruto. "Explain."

Naruto squinted and scratched the back of his head. "Uh...I'm not sure I can really..."

"Why the hell not?"

"It's kinda hard to explain. You'll think I'm crazy."

"Too late for that dobe."

"Shut up teme!"

"Naruto!" She growled.

"Alright alright, sheesh! Old people and their temper." Naruto muttered the last part, then ducked just in time to avoid the kunai that flew over where his head would have been. The kunai embedded itself in the wall. "Jeez! I just got back and you're already trying to kill me you old hag!"

"Dobe, just get on with it before she really does kill you."

"Fine, whatever... Where to start...well, I guess it started back on that mission to find Itachi..." Naruto began with the story of his meeting with Itachi two years ago and continued all the way up until Madara's demise. When he finished the tale, the whole room was left speechless.

Tsunade recovered first and glared at Naruto. "So...let me get this straight... Itachi gave you his chakra."

"Yeah."

"And when Madara caught you in his genjutsu you passed out and saw Itachi, who activated his chakra inside you."

"Uh huh."

"Then by means of him you were able to use not just the sharingan, but the mangekyou and through it use his technique?"

"Yeah, that's the gist of it."

"And through Susanoo, you sealed Madara."

Naruto grinned at that. "Yep!"

The Godaime shook her head and muttered, "Unbelievable..."

"Well, I have a question of my own. Last thing I remember was Sasuke and I watching Madara disappear. What happened after that?"

"We found you." Neji's quiet voice answered. "Shikamaru and I. We felt the powerful chakra and came running. By the time we got there the chakra had disappeared and both of you were on the ground knocked out. We took you to Tsunade-sama."

"When you two were brought to me, both of you had almost no chakra. Sasuke was bleeding to death and your pathways were practically fried."

It was quiet for a moment as Naruto allowed to words to sink in. He eventually nodded.

"Naruto..." This time Tsunade's words were soft, "What the hell happened out there?" Naruto wasn't the one who answered.

"Susanoo...it's powerful. It's a very physically demanding technique, even for an Uchiha." Sasuke stated with his head down.

"What do you mean?"

"As you know, most Uchiha don't gain the mangekyou sharingan. And of those who do, it's still difficult to use such a powerful technique. Technically, only an Uchiha should have the sharingan at all, let alone the mangekyou. Kakashi knows what I mean."

The silver-haired ninja nodded and explained further. "For me, using the sharingan itself is not an easy task. Compound that by using the mangekyou sharingan and my chakra drains at an alarming rate. But when I go further and use my ultimate technique, Kamui, even for a short time...well, you saw what happened. I was out for two days and my eye was severely strained."

"Susanoo was Itachi's ultimate technique." Sasuke continued. "I only witnessed him using it once...the day we battled. When he used it, he was already weakened from withstanding my Kirin. However, he was still strong enough to use it's final form and seal what was left of Orochimaru's soul that lingered inside of me and still be standing afterward. He still forced himself forward after that and gave me the rest of his chakra before he died."

_'I always underestimated his strength. He was stronger than me.'_ Sasuke clenched his fists.

_'He had to be stronger...for you.'_ Naruto replied. Sasuke looked up and onyx met blue. Naruto gave him a soft smile which made Sasuke release a sigh and relax again. He continued his explanation.

"I used it for the first time in battle against Madara. It was an incomplete version, yet I could still feel my chakra pathways burning. But that's just me. Now, imagine suddenly having a sharingan in eyes that weren't meant to have them, using mangekyou in that same moment and forming a complete Susanoo and maneuvering it. That is what Naruto did."

"But according to Naruto, Itachi said he would be able to use it because of the amount of chakra he had."

"That much is true. Naruto has much more chakra than a normal person so Itachi knew he had enough. But that still doesn't account for the _type_ of chakra Naruto has. If we both brought forth our chakra, you would immediately notice the difference."

"Difference? What difference?" Iruka asked.

Kakashi understood immediately. They had both been his students after all. "The Uchiha's chakra nature is much darker...more evil...tainted, in a way. I guess it would have to be in order to control a demon as powerful as the kyuubi. Naruto's chakra is pure. I remember Minato's being the same way."

"Why would that matter?" Tsunade asked.

"Just because Naruto has chakra to spare doesn't mean that he has the kind of chakra needed for something like that." Sasuke replied.

"But he has the kyuubi's chakra. What could be more tainted than that?"

"Did you feel the _kyuubi's_ chakra?"

The Godaime thought for a moment. She knew exactly how vile that chakra felt...and that wasn't what she felt. "No."

"You wouldn't have either."

"I wasn't using the fox's chakra baa-chan. I was using mine." Naruto stated after Sasuke finished.

Tsunade's eyes went wide. "All that chakra we felt...that was yours?"

Naruto nodded. "And even then, it wasn't enough of it. Kyuubi ended up supplying the rest to make up for what I was losing and in order to keep my pathways from burning beyond repair. It's the only reason I'm still alive."

"And it didn't try to take over? Why?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto chuckled. "No demon likes to be used. Kyuubi's hated Uchiha Madara for years...even more than he hated the Yondaime for sealing him. Besides, he couldn't have taken over if he wanted to. Not anymore. I guess he decided that if he was going to die anyway, he might as well go out destroying the one he hated most."

"Wait, are you saying..."

"He's gone. The kyuubi is no more. It's just me in my head now."

Everyone's eyes went wide in disbelief, except for Sasuke, who already knew what was happening to the kyuubi, and Aya, who didn't really understand. Even Shikamaru woke up from his nap.

"What? B-But how?" Iruka asked.

"I drained him of his chakra. The seal was designed that way. It was supposed to take years, but after the seal broke during the mission in Wave Country, it started happening more quickly. The kyuubi having to give up so much of his chakra to save me just hastened it even further."

Neji, meanwhile, had activated his byakugan to examine the blond's chakra pathways. "He's right. There's no trace of the kyuubi's chakra anymore. It's all Naruto's."

Tsunade chuckled. Soon she was laughing heartily. She couldn't help herself. No one expected that sort of reaction and everyone looked at her like she had lost it. When her mirth finally died down, she shook her head and smiled as she reached over and ruffled Naruto's hair.

"Konoha's most knuckle-headed unpredictable ninja indeed."

Everyone laughed.

* * *

Naruto, Sasuke, and Aya walked toward their shared apartment. Iruka accompanied them. Aya was telling them about everything that happened during the invasion. Naruto was perfectly content as he walked down the street with his arms behind his head. He felt the stares on him, but this time they were ones of admiration for both himself and Sasuke. It felt good not to be glared at with hatred for once. He smiled.

"Thanks again for taking care of Aya, Iruka-sensei."

"No thanks needed. We had a good time together, even during the invasion. And she was a great help in keeping everyone calm when it got bad. She's going to be a great medic-nin." He winked at the girl. She smiled at him.

"Thanks Iruka-sensei! It was fun and I made some good friends too."

"That's right. And it looks like you're going to be part of their team, from what Ebisu told me."

"Awesome!"

Sasuke raised a brow at Naruto. _'Does she really have to be in a team with those idiots?'_

_'They're not idiots. Well...they are...but they'll grow out of it. Look at how we turned out. Besides, Aya's maturity will probably be good for them.'_

_'Hn.'_

"Oh yeah, Iruka-sensei told me the funniest story about you two when you were in the academy."

The two of them stopped their inner monologue and looked at Aya with their eyes wide.

"Uh, what story Aya?" Naruto asked with trepidation.

"About the day you were named to teams."

Sasuke groaned. Naruto glared at Iruka accusingly. "You told her?"

Iruka shrugged and held back from laughing. "She needed cheering up when you left."

"And you cheered her up by telling her that?"

"Yes."

"I don't see the big deal. It's not like you kissed on purpose. I bet it was funny to see." Aya giggled. Naruto and Sasuke both glared at her, but she wasn't bothered at all by it. "Quit glaring at me! It's not like you haven't been in weird situations before with me around."

Naruto immediately turned red and Sasuke tried futilely to hold back a slight blush of his own.

"Oh? Is there something I should know about you two?" Iruka asked innocently, even though his eyes were dancing. Mutual glares were turned on him.

"Not...another...word." Naruto growled. They grabbed Aya and used shunshin to get to their apartment. The moment they were gone Iruka erupted in laughter.

"Those two are so clueless."

* * *

Sakura was sitting in front of their apartment door when the trio got there.

"It's about time you two got here. I've been sitting here for 10 minutes waiting for you."

"Uh, sorry." Naruto offered. Sasuke wasn't bothered.

"Whatever."

Sakura rolled her eyes and bopped both of them on the head with her fists.

"Hey!" They yelled. Naruto pouted and Sasuke rubbed his head with a glare in her direction. Sakura giggled at his reaction. Naruto was used to her behavior. Sasuke though...It was really the first time he'd been the recipient of one of her hits.

Aya elbowed Naruto out of the way and smiled at her other mentor. "Sakura-san, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to borrow Sasuke for a bit. Is that ok with you?"

Aya shrugged. "I guess. As long as he's back in time for dinner."

Naruto snickered as he walked by and teased Sasuke in his head. _'Ha! You're so whipped.'_

_'Hn.'_

_'Come on, admit it...she's got you wrapped around her little finger.'_

_'I'm not the only one wrapped around her finger.'_

_'Maybe, but I have no problem admitting that fact." _Naruto smirked. _"Well, go on then. Sakura needs you. But don't be late for dinner honey.'_

Sasuke glared._ 'Shut up dobe.'_

**x x x**

Sasuke followed Sakura over the rooftops. She hadn't said where they were going, but he figured it must be important. She wouldn't have bothered him otherwise. They stopped on the roof of the hospital.

"Why are we back here?"

"Tsunade-shishou wanted to see you about your friend."

"What friend?"

"The orange haired one with the curse seal."

"Juugo." Sasuke felt like mentally slapping himself. How could he forget about Juugo? He'd been so elated about getting rid of Madara and Akatsuki and then finding out Naruto was ok, that he hadn't spared the young man a thought. "What about him?"

"Well, I'll let Tsunade-shishou explain."

They went inside and down the stairs to the fifth floor and then took an elevator to the basement level. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He'd never been down here. In fact, he wondered why anyone would be down here. Finally, they reached a metal door. It was reminiscent of those he'd seen in Orochimaru's various hideouts and that made him shiver for some reason. Sakura knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal the Godaime on the other side of it.

"Ah good, you're here." She nodded at Sasuke. Then she looked at her student. "Thank you Sakura. You may go back to your duties." The pinkette left and Tsunade looked at the Uchiha. "Get in here."

Sasuke stepped inside and looked around the dimly lit room, if one could call it that. It looked more like a dungeon. "Why did you want me here?"

"We need to talk about your friend." She gestured to the other side of the room, where he saw Juugo on the bed. He looked to be deeply asleep.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing. Well, nothing that wasn't already wrong with him." Tsunade replied. "He's been drugged the entire time. I didn't want to wake him until I had an idea of what was going on inside him." She grabbed one of the cheap metal chairs and sat in it. She gestured to the other empty chair and Sasuke sat down across from her. "Tell me everything you can about him and then I'll let you know what I think."

Sasuke nodded. "I don't know much about his past. I just know that he voluntarily left his village because he didn't want to hurt anyone else. You see, he doesn't like changing. He's essentially a peaceful person who doesn't want to hurt anyone. However, when he's angry that crazed part of him comes out. When he's in that state, he can destroy anything and anyone. He stayed away from people because of it. However, he met another of Orochimaru's lackeys, Kimamaro, who convinced him that Orochimaru might help him. Instead of helping him, Orochimaru found out about his abilities and used his blood to create the curse seal. I don't know what happened between then and when I met him, but I know that he followed Kimimaro because he kept him from transforming. I was able to do the same because of my chakra."

"Hmm...well, I took a sample of his blood a couple of days ago and I was able to see what causes him to mutate as he does. It's amazing to watch, actually. I can see why it caught Orochimaru's interest. It turned into a very useful tool for him once he conformed it to his liking. Obviously, you know that." Then she sighed. "Unfortunately, I don't know if it's something I can cure. It's part of his blood, after all...part of him."

"So that's it? There's nothing you can do?"

"I didn't say that."

"Well what are you saying?" Sasuke asked while crossing his arms and glaring at the woman.

Tsunade glared at him. "Let me finish dammit! I was going to say that there might be a different sort of solution. This way wouldn't alter him chemically, which is probably better for him. Just as Orochimaru created a seal to mimic Juugo's monstrous effects in others, maybe a seal can be created that can keep him from changing when he gets angry."

"You really think you can do it?"

Tsunade chuckled softly. "Well _I_ certainly can't. I don't create seals. However, I think you know someone who does." She grinned. And Sasuke's eyes lit up in understanding.

"Naruto..." He breathed. "Of course."

"The brat knows more about seals than I'll ever know. If there's any possibility of a solution, he'll come up with one."

"I'll talk to him." Sasuke glanced back at his former companion. He wasn't sure if they would call each other friends. He'd never really treated Juugo like one. Did Juugo think of him that way? Well, if anything, he did like him best of the three he'd taken with him on his quest for revenge. If he could truly have a chance at a normal life, he would be happy for him. "Does he have to stay in here?"

Tsunade frowned. "I don't like it much either. But the council is wary of him and not just because of his dangerous abilities, but also because of his affiliation with Orochimaru and Akatsuki. This is the best I can do for now. However, now that I know more about him from you, I'll wake him and talk to him. After that, I'll bring what I've learned to the council and see about some better arrangements for him. And if Naruto can come up with a seal soon, I'll be able to release him to do what he wants with his life."

"He doesn't have anywhere to go. Not really."

"Well, if he's agreeable to staying in Konoha, I'll see what I can do. The same goes for the girl, Karin, though I'm not as sure of her as I am of him. She did work with Orochimaru willingly and without remorse, after all. Though she does seem the type that would do well as a lab technician as long as she doesn't have an urge for experimentation."

"We'll see..."

Sasuke wasn't all that keen on Karin being anywhere near Konoha. He didn't want to deal with her fangirlish tendencies. He had enough fangirls that ran around Konoha, without adding her to the mix. Not only was she a fangirl, she was possessive...a horrible combination that Sasuke didn't want to be around.

He cringed at the vision in his head of her running after him calling his name.

Hell, she'd probably end up being the head of the Uchiha Sasuke fanclub.

* * *

That night, after Aya had gone to bed, Naruto found himself on the balcony looking over the village. The rebuilding had begun immediately after the battle ended. Only five days later, rubble had been cleared away and buildings rebuilt. The village had heart...had the will of fire. He was finally beginning to understand what the Sandaime meant so long ago. The old man truly loved this village. His father loved it as well, enough to give his life and give his son the means to protect it. He understood now what it meant to be hokage. And for the first time in 2 years, he felt the urge to strive for it once again.

As he looked out at the lights that dotted the landscape, he couldn't help but smile. For the first time in what felt like forever, he was content.

He was back home, for good. He was safe from Akatsuki...hell, the world was safe from Akatsuki and the madman who led them. The village he loved was safe. And though he no longer cared what the village thought of him, it was nice to know that he no longer had their ire. He was a hero, kyuubi-holder or not.

He was no longer alone. Though they were gone, he now knew he had a family that loved him. And he still had a family now. It might not be a traditional one, but it was one that he loved just as dearly. Sakura was his sister, and Aya - sure it was a running joke between them that he was her 'tousan' - but he did think of her as a sort of daughter. Iruka was his father. Kakashi was his perverted uncle. Tsunade would always be his baa-chan.

And most of all there was Sasuke.

He still wasn't sure how to categorize him. He was more than just a friend...always had been. When he was losing him to revenge, he told Sasuke that he was like a brother. But there was something more than that. They were beyond friends, beyond brothers. Maybe one day he'd be able to figure it all out in his head. But the most important thing was that he'd been able to keep his promise after all. He'd brought Sasuke back.

That was all that mattered.

A cup appeared in front of his face. He took it and glanced at the object of his current thoughts.

"Thanks."

"Hn."

The two stood silently for a time, sipping their tea and looking out at the recovering village. Most of his friends would probably be surprised to see Naruto so quiet. There were very few who had the privilege of knowing that Naruto could appreciate silence as well as the next man. Sasuke was proud to be one of them. With a sigh of contentment he placed the empty cup on the floor and leaned against the banister.

"You seem happy dobe."

Naruto smiled again. "I'm glad to be home."

"Hn." The blond then looked at Sasuke.

"What about you? How do you feel?"

Sasuke frowned slightly. He wasn't one to analyze his feelings very often. But now that Naruto was forcing him to think about it...

How did he feel?

He was back in a place he'd never planned to come back to. Somehow, he didn't even lose his status in the process.

His family was completely gone now. But, it didn't bother him like he thought it should. He'd always considered himself the last Uchiha, even before Madara came into the picture. The man was a relic of the past that should've been dead long ago anyway. He'd even destroyed his only tie to the past when he burned down the Uchiha compound. That didn't bother him either.

He'd forgiven Itachi. He'd forgiven himself. And Naruto had forgiven him.

Even the hokage and Konoha accepted him back...some more grudgingly than others. Not that he cared much about that one way or the other.

Team 7 though, that was a different story. They'd never given up on him after everything. Even after Naruto was banished, Kakashi and Sakura hadn't given up on either of them. It took a very long time for him to finally get it, but he understood now. His blood family might be gone, but he had another family in Team 7. He could probably even learn to tolerate Sai's eccentricities. He did have an excuse for it, after all, considering he was a product of Danzou's emotionless regime.

What else was there then?

He finally had a home. No, he didn't mean Konoha, he meant the man standing next to him. For him, home had nothing to do with a place...not anymore. Naruto - and by extension, Aya - was home.

Sasuke had been silent for so long (his mind was silent as well) that Naruto figured he wouldn't answer. He shrugged and went back to his own thoughts. He was used to Sasuke being silent anyway.

He jumped in surprise when an arm went around his shoulders. When did the teme get so close?

Sasuke chuckled and wrapped the arm around Naruto's neck in a loose choke hold.

"It's good to be home."

* * *

_Owari_


	34. Author's Note Epilogue

**Author's Note: **

So, I had a brain freeze yesterday and I apologize for that. I meant to post this in here yesterday and ended up completely forgetting because I was so busy with work and stuff.

Anyways, just wanted to let you all know that the epilogue, **Nothing Left to Hide** is up for you to enjoy. I ended up posting it a few hours after I posted the last chapter of this story. So some of you who read this later probably are expecting the story to show up in your author alerts, but I posted it quicker than I thought I would.

So just go to my profile and look for it. Please read and enjoy!


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